Japanese Maple ‘Osakazuki’ · Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’

The cultivar distinguishes itself operationally from dissectum and purple-leaved forms on three points: a robust seven-lobed palmate leaf without filamentous cutting; an upright vase habit when young that broadens with age to 4 to 6 m in height by 4 to 5 m across; and better sun tolerance than the laceleaf forms, which reduces the careful exposure planning that other Japanese maples require. In a Spanish pliego de condiciones, the cultivar takes the place that a paisajista reserves for the standard Acer palmatum in a courtyard scheme or an intimate park clearing, with the added chromatic signature in autumn.

Climate performance favours the Atlantic strip (cornisa cantábrica) of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque country, the Pyrenean foothills, the interior Empordà, the Catalan pre-Pyrenees, and the Sierra de Guadarrama foothills below 1,200 m. On the Mediterranean coast (Costa Brava, Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca) and the Balearics, performance depends on half shade from a wall or evergreen canopy, soil correction towards organic and slightly acidic, and reliable establishment irrigation. On the dry continental interior (meseta) and the semi-arid southeast (sureste árido) the cultivar is not a defensible specification. Hardy to roughly minus 18 °C in free-draining substrate.

Soil and water envelope: organic, slightly acidic to neutral, evenly moist, well drained. Tolerates clay where structure prevents prolonged waterlogging; calcareous substrates only with corrected pH and assured moisture. Drought tolerance is moderate, so the cultivar is not for unirrigated alignments in southern Mediterranean conditions. Genus-typical moderate disease and pest profile, with no Xylella fastidiosa exposure (Acer palmatum sits outside the documented host range), and no specific phytosanitary pressure documented under Spanish conditions.

Foliage holds a clear bright green through spring and summer, with fine texture and a discreet sheen. Autumn colour develops between mid-October and mid-November, turns to a luminous scarlet crimson rated among the most intense within Acer palmatum, and holds for two to three weeks. Project role: feature specimen at lawn edge, chromatic counterpoint against a dark evergreen hedge, focal point in an interior patio or in a Japanese-inspired scheme, container subject in a sheltered courtyard. The cultivar's scale, larger than the dissectum forms, allows it to structure a composition without reaching canopy dimensions.