Full moon or Shirasawa maple is a small deciduous tree or large shrub in the maple family (Sapindaceae) native to Japan. It is named after Japanese botanist Homi Shirasawa. It is slow-growing and eventually may reach 15 -20 feet tall. Plant in average moist well-drained soil and provide afternoon shade to prevent leaf scorch from strong winds and too much sun. The showy leaves are rounded with 9-13 shallow lobes that turn bright yellow, orange or red in the fall. Its small stature makes it a good patio tree or container plant. Use as a specimen, in an Asian garden, or as an understory tree. The cultivar ‘Aureum’ is much easier to find for sale and has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. See potential disease and insect problem fact sheets to the left. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common Maple Diseases and Insects. More information on Acer .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Rounded
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Orbicular; Palmasect
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
2-3 inch leaves with 9-13 lobes with serrated margins, acuminate tip. Fall color is yellow, orange or red.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Red/Burgundy
Flower form
Corymb
Flower detail
Reddish flowers in clusters
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Samara
Fruit detail
The fruit is a paired samara, red aging to brown held in erect clusters above the leaves.
Bark color
Light Gray
Bark detail
Smooth gray bark
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Japan
Wildlife value
Members of the genus Acer support Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) larvae which have one brood per season and appear from April-October in the south. Adult Imperial Moths do not feed.