Buy Acer palmatum 'Mikawa Yatsubusa'

A truly unique dwarf Japanese maple, this cultivar produces layers of small leaves that overlap each other because of close leaf spacing and short petioles. The effect is striking: a very dense, compact plant with a diverse range of leaf size and color. N

The leaves of this multi-branched mounder overlay each other like tiny 2" pointy-tipped shingles on a roof, so close do they lay to each other on the branches of this 1-3' gem for container, accent or bonsai. PSh/M

Mikawa Yatsubusa Japanese Maple is an unusual, dwarf tree with a natural bonsai appearance. The extraordinary leaf structure overlaps as if it were shingles on a roof. The foliage starts out in spring as a light yellow green turning to a forest green for summer. Autumn colors are yellows, oranges and reds. Mikawa Yatsubusa Japanese Maple makes a great container or patio tree. Mikawa Yatsubusa means 'a small cluster of 3 rivers'.

Mikawa Yatsubusa is a dwarf Japanese Maple cultivar with dense foliage and small dark green leaves. It is one of the best of the named varieties for bonsai due to its branching style and leaf size. When left un-pruned the trees grow about 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide with a mostly horizontal branching pattern. Pruning is very rarely needed on this tree as the growth is even and will naturally develop a rounded habit. This variety looks its best when it is allowed to grow as a multi-trunked shrubby tree.
Care and Receiving Your Tree

This shrubby sized maple has pretty yellow green new foliage turning dark green in summer. In fall, the foliage will turn orange yellow. The leaves are almost like shingles overlapping each other.

One of the most outstanding dwarf maples – ‘Mikawa yatsubusa’ displays yellow-green foliage in the spring turning to a vivid forest green in the summer. As the leaves emerge they overlap each other and form tight bunches. One of the special characteristics of this maple is the tight leaf clumps on branches that seem to layer to form a natural bonsai shape. The best display of this cultivar is pruning that removes some of the individual leaves on the trunk to open up the shape and focus on the remaining tight clumps of leaves. Fall color occurs late and sometimes winter temperatures and wind prevent the change in color – orange to red. Mikawa yatsubusa may reach 6′ high and wide in 10 years. A great selection for bonsai or larger containers. This distinctive cultivar would make the perfect focal point in a small Japanese style garden or near a koi pond. Due to the natural bonsai type appearance, underneath plantings of ground cover and the use of rocks can easily make a single maple transform into a small Japanese garden. Relatively easy to grow, even a beginning maple collector could not go wrong with this choice. Once established this cultivar is hardy to -20 degrees – USDA Zone 5. A collector’s must.

Leaves turn from light yellow-green in the spring, to medium green with red tips in the summer, to yellow in the fall. The long, narrow lobes overlap like shingles on short stems. A small, compact plant. Rare and in demand for its neat, unusual habit.

Deciduous, small to medium sized maple. Foilage is a lush green with fine red serrations on the margins. Fall color brings a combination of reds, oranges, and yellows, depending on how much sun the tree is receiving. Sharply lobed leaves form a dense carpet on the tree, due to unusual branching caused by very short internodes. A rare, one of a kind cultivar that is one of the best picks for bonsai. Growth Rate medium

This dwarf Japanese maple is one of the most popular! Beautiful light green leaves overlap each other like shingles on a roof. The leaves and branches bunch up together giving a truly unique look. Perfect for container gardening and bonsai.

Acer palmatum 'Mikawa yatsubusa' - A true dwarf Japanese Maple. Large, light green leaves overlay each other on compressed stems. One of the nicest dwarf maples we have for sale only getting to 6ft. at maturity. Fall is yellow and red colors. Rock garden plant, Bonsai or Patio.

Thick stems, closely spaced buds, a naturally layered habit, and tolerance for pruning make this our top Japanese maple bonsai pick. In the garden, it is a true dwarf, so it can be safely planted very close to a walkway or kept for years in a large container until just the perfect spot for it becomes obvious. Exceptional, it belongs in even a modest collection of Japanese maple varieties for its distinctive dwarf and trouble-free character .

Small, tightly-layered green leaves. Fall yellow-orange, good in containers, Hardy USDA zones 5-8

This layered dwarf (if 8' x 8' can be considered a dwarf) is one of my all time favorites; the summer green is bright and healthy and the fall color is orange and scarlet and long lived.

DWARF, green. A rare and beautiful dwarf Japanese maple. Densely branched and layered with 5-lobed, green leaves. Leaves are larger than other dwarf types, emerging light green with red tips and turning yellow to red in the fall. One of the best for bonsai.

For a slothful bonsai person like me, this variety, with splendid branching and dense bud internodes, saves the day. (It has a naturally bonsaied appearance.) Excellent red-orange fall display, too. Slowly reaches 7 ft tall.