‘Beni Otake’ Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Beni Otake’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 5a-9b Find Your Zone

Height at Maturity: 12-16′ in as many years

Width at Maturity: 12-16′ in as many years

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Vase

Growth Rate: Fast for a Japanese Maple

Foliage Color in Spring: Red Shades

Foliage Color in Summer: Burgundy Shades

Foliage Color in Fall: Crimson Red

Light Needs: Full Sun Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Morning Shade with Evening Sun

Water Needs: Average

Soil Type: Clay (amend heavy clay soils), Loam, Sandy, Silty

Drainage: Moist But Well Drained – Does not like constantly soggy soil

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0 is ideal

Maintenance: Low

Resistances: Deer, Heat Tolerant, Insect Resistant, Sun Tolerant

Description

A extraordinary tree featuring very thin bamboo-like leaves, Acer palmatum ‘Beni Otake’, commonly called the Red Bamboo Japanese Maple, is sure to be an impressive accent in the landscape. The deeply lobed, fine textured leaves emerge a bright red in spring darkening to burgundy in summer and then brilliant crimson red with the arrival of cooler temperatures in fall. The color holds up well in even full sun. Red stems are an extra added bonus during the winter months. Its upright form to 12 to 16 feet tall and equally as wide in as many years make this exotic looking beauty a perfect fit and eye-catching specimen for smaller garden spaces, home foundation plants, or in pots, planters or other containers.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, the Red Bamboo Japanese Maple is best used in the landscape as a focal point specimen to draw attention to a specific area of the home or landscape. That said, you can plant it in groupings of three or use two to frame an entryway. Container culture can extend the useful range of Japanese Maples. They are extremely easy to grow in containers, a practice taken to its most extreme form in the art of bonsai.

Suggested Spacing: At least 20 feet or more apart for space between trees over the long term

Note: One Japanese Maple can make a landscape…that is, if you don’t overcrowd it with other trees and plants. Therefore, when selecting companions to plant under or around your Japanese Maple, make sure to select low-growing shrubs or groundcovers that won’t interfere at all with your tree.

Growing Preferences

Though delicate looking, Japanese Maples are actually very tough and long-lived trees.

In their natural habitat, Japanese Maples are understory trees, growing in dappled forest sunlight at the edges of woodlands. Ideally they prefer to be grown in similar conditions. That said, you can find a complete listing of our sun-tolerant Japanese Maple varieties here, of which Red Bamboo Japanese Maple is one.

Most any average garden soil will grow Japanese Maples. They prefer a moist but well-drained soil rich in organic matter. As with so many other ornamental plants and trees, constantly soggy or wet soil can be problematic. So make sure to plant your Japanese Maple in a well-drained site.

Helpful Articles

Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Japanese Maple trees.

How To Plant A Japanese Maple Tree In The Ground

How to Plant A Japanese Maple Tree In A Pot

How To Fertilize And Water A Japanese Maple Tree

How To Prune A Japanese Maple

Plant Long & Prosper!

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Questions? Contact Us!

My Beni O’Take arrived well packaged and much taller than I expected. It is well branched at the top although the branches are not very long. That may be for packing purposes. When Spring arrives, they will branch out and make a very good canopy. I am totally satisfied with the quality of my tree and am sure to be a repeat customer!———————————Thanks for the kind words and wonderful review! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG

Happy with trees I received. I will order more next year.—————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy them for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG