Acer palmatum ‘Beni Otaki’
Beni Otake Japanese maple
Japanese maples are in fact Japanese in origin, also occurring naturally in Korea, China, and parts of Mongolia and Russia as well. The low, mounded shape of the tree, along with its attractive color varieties and leaf varieties, have made it enormously popular throughout the world. Numerous cultivars are available in addition to this one.
Plants: These small trees rarely exceed 6½′ (2 m) in height or width. They may have multiple trunks. They often have a rounded habit.
Leaves: Foliage may be purple or green. Leaves are palmate, with 5-9 lobes, and are 1½–4½″ (4–12 cm) around, with doubly serrated margins. In this cultivar, they are very thin, as thin as grass blades.
Flowers: Small cymes, with five red or purple sepals and five whitish petals.
Fruits: Samaras are in winged pairs. Each samara is ¾–1″ (2–3 cm) in size.
Online References:
4/7/2012 · Ladew Topiary Gardens, Monkton, Maryland · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm) 
4/7/2012 · Ladew Topiary Gardens, Monkton, Maryland · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (15 × 11 cm) 
4/7/2012 · Ladew Topiary Gardens, Monkton, Maryland · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (14 × 11 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Rosidae | Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more |
| Order | Sapindales | Includes citrus; maples, horse-chestnuts, lychees and rambutans; mangos and cashews; frankincense and myrrh; mahogany and neem |
| Family | Sapindaceae | Soapberry family |
| Genus | Acer | Maples |
| Species | palmatum | Means “palm-like,” because of the leaf shape |
Acer palmatum ‘Beni Otaki’ description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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