Plant types

Plant styles

Planting conditions

Seasonal interest

Nurseries & Gardens

Photo by Conifer Kingdom

Show all photos

Buy Acer palmatum 'Bihou'

Also Known As

Acer palmatum 'Bihoo'
Bihou Coral Yellow Bark Japanese Maple
Bihou Japanese Maple

Plant type

tree

size

H: 8'-15'
W: 4'-10'

planting zones

6a-9b

4-5 feet | $226

Shipping based on order size & destination

Fewer than 15 at Bloom River Gardens

3-4 feet | $196

Shipping based on order size & destination

Fewer than 15 at Bloom River Gardens

#1 Container | $59.99

Buy button links to nursery site for checkout

Fewer than 20 at Conifer Kingdom

More Options

Acer palmatum 'Bihou' plant details

Acer palmatum 'Bihou' is a fast-growing broadleaf deciduous tree with green foliage. Attracts beneficial insects and birds. Grows well with sun - mostly shade and even moisture - regular water. Does well in average, rich and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something humidity tolerant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Acer palmatum 'Bihou'

Plant type: tree
Plant family: sapindaceae
Foliage: deciduous green
Mature size: 4 FT - 10 FT - wide, 8 FT - 15 FT - tall
Uses: bonsai, distinctive bark, fall color, yellow stems

GROWING CONDITIONS for Acer palmatum 'Bihou'

USDA Zones: 6a - 9b
Sun exposure: sun - mostly shade
Watering frequency: even moisture - regular
Resistant to: humidity
Soil needs: average, rich and well-drained

We independently publish plant data to search multiple nurseries at once. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases when you buy through our links.

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

Spectacular seasonal colors make this small tree highly desirable. Leaf color starts out light yellow-green with a pink flush, then changes to green for summer and takes on a very bright yellow in fall. Shoots and young branches brighten up the winter lan

By: Conifer Kingdom

Vivid golden-peach-coral bark (exposed in sun and cooler temps.) is great combined with the ?coral barks? and the small yellow-green leaves of this upright 15-20' tree are also gold in fall; name means ?beautiful mountain range?. S-PSh/M

By: Forestfarm

An extremely bright-colored Japanese Maple Variety, 'Bihou' produces yellow bark and leaves that shine bright in any garden. Bihou looks especially fantastic when planted next to either red or blue colored plants to provide maximum contrast. Only fertilize early in the season, and use a slow release formula like Osmocote rather than a fast releasing fertilizer. Young trees are more sensitive to frost damage than other varieties of Japanese Maple (hence the listing at zone 7) but as the trees mature they become more cold hardy.

The habit is naturally upright with narrow branches, making this a fantastic choice for smaller gardens and bonsai plants.

Care and Receiving Your Tree

Like with other plants that are shipped bare root, you should plant your tree as soon as possible. When planting be sure to spread the roots out a little so they are not clumped together at the bottom of the hole. Japanese Maples want the top of their root crown to be covered with just an inch of soil - be careful not to apply heavy mulch directly on top of the roots as this can suffocate them. Water heavily as soon as you plant your tree but after that be careful not to overwater this beautiful specimen - Japanese Maples prefer long but less frequent watering. During the growing season we water our established trees for two hours once per week, depending on the climate and how hot/dry the weather is (maybe a little more frequently during the hottest part of the year and less frequently during spring and fall when it is cooler). If you are growing your Japanese Maples in containers be sure to use a well-drained soil mix (not peat or compost based, bark based soils do best) and water whenever the soil starts to dry out.

Japanese Maples do best when fertilized in the spring, we recommend a slow release pellet like Osmocote Plus in April. Don't apply fertilizer later than mid-June because it will encourage too much late season growth that will not have time to harden off enough for winter. The exact formula doesn't matter too much, we usually use 15-10-10 but any other works fine for Japanese Maples. Osmocote is the brand we use because it releases steadily for several months and so there is very little risk of over-fertilizing your plants.

By: Red Panda Nursery

This plant looks like A. palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’. The foliage is similar and the form is similar. The difference is the bark is yellow orange in winter rather than red. This upright tree is very special all winter.

By: Gossler Farms

A delightful small tree becomes a maple for all seasons – with pink-flushed light yellow-green leaves in the spring becoming light to mid green for the summer, then turning a very bright yellow often with red tones in the fall. The pink-flushed yellow shoots become an eye-catching orange to apricot-yellow for the winter. The various hues of yellow color hold well through the winter. The cold temperatures bring out the color in the bark as it is for coral bark maples. In Japanese the name means ‘beautiful mountain range’. Estimated height in 10 years is 8′ with a width of about 4′. The name is pronounced [bee – ho] A collector’s choice. Once established this cultivar is hardy to USDA zone 5.

By: Eastfork Nursery

A spreading small tree with bright yellow stems and tiny yellow-green leaves turning yellow to orange in fall. 'Bihou' means beautiful mountain range.

By: Dancing Oaks Nursery

'Bihou' is a relatively new cultivar introduced from Japan with four seasons of interest. Red buds open to pink-flushed chartreuse in spring, changing to yellow-green for summer. Fall colors are bright egg-yolk yellow. The wow-factor occurs in winter when all leaves have dropped leaving its yellow bark to glow. 'Bihou' has a more dramatic effect paired next to a red-branched maple such as Sango kaku or Beni kawa. Its name means "beautiful mountain range". 'Bihou' is sometimes spelled 'Bi ho'.

By: jensfarm maples

A wonderful new maple grown for its unique bark color. Bark on twigs and branches turns a vivid coral yellow in winter. Fall color is shades of golden-yellow and orange. The Japanese name means "beautiful mountain range."

By: Maplestone Ornamentals

Acer palmatum 'Bihou' Coral Yellow Bark Japanese Maple Tree a small, upright deciduous tree with miniature lime-green summer leaves. Fall color is yellows to oranges. Bark on twigs and branches turns a vivid coral yellow with an orange overcast in winter. The Japanese name means "beautiful mountain range." Prefers sun/partial shade in well-drained soil.

By: Kigi Nursery

A relatively new introduction from Japan, it has bright yellow stems and shares with other bright yellow or red-stem selections susceptibility to Pseudomonas stem blight if it is fertilized too late in the growing season. Go easy on the nitrogen and protect young grafts indoors for the first few winters until the recent season's growth hardens off.

By: Heritage Seedlings

Wow!! If this tree never leafed out it would still find a place in the garden. Fantastic coral-orange bark throughout winter. Imagine a drift of these near a drift of red-barked maples. Exciting idea. Sadly, (tongue-in-cheek) red buds give way to green leaves hiding this wonderful bark throughout the growing season. Fall leaves are yellow with specks of orange.

By: Bloom River Gardens

PALMATUM, green. This French introduction has pink-flushed light yellow-green new leaves, becoming green in summer and bright yellow, tinged with red in fall. Its winter interest is outstanding for its color of orange to apricot-yellow! I'm sure you are already thinking of planting it with 'Sango Kaku' and 'Aoyagi' in a part of the garden you can see from your favorite reading chair!

By: Greer Gardens Inc.

Here's one that will knock your socks off. Bihou has yellow stems, winter and summer, lovely light green foliage with good fall color. In winter the trunk becomes slightly orange sort of like Japanese Sunrise but still distinct. Totally exciting.