Acer
palmatum 'Beni shi en'
Variegated
Harold Johnson of
Tallassee, Alabama
introduced this wonderful variegated Japanese maple born of the south and then
gave it a Japanese name that translates to red smoke. The deeply divided leaves
emerge more purple than anything else, but will have cream markings starting at
the base of the leaf and extending along the margins of most of the lobes. In
summer the purple of spring will change to olive green in more shade or bronze
in more sun. In late summer new red growth will pop out all over the plant. Fall
color is usually orange or red. The really cool thing is that no two leaves
will be shaped the same. This is the only significantly variegated Japanese
maple we grow that will tolerate full sun in the Southeast. Possibly the most
unique maple introduced in the last fifty years.
