Growth Habit & Size
Upright
Upright vase-shaped coral-bark maple, often shorter and broader than Sango Kaku.
PUNGO MAPLES
Virginia Beach Japanese Maple Nursery
Beni Kawa
Acer palmatum
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☀️ Full Sun
🪵 Colorful Winter Bark
Cultivar Description & Characteristics
Beni Kawa translates to Red Bark, highlighting its most striking ornamental feature: brilliant coral-red stems that provide exceptional winter interest. The spring foliage emerges in a delicate light green shaded with soft peach tones along the margins. During summer, the leaves mature into a clean, fresh green before turning brilliant golden-yellow in the autumn. This upright grower ensures your landscape remains visually engaging even during the coldest winter months.
10-Yr Height
10.0
10-Yr Width
7.0
Seasonal Foliage Spectrum
Spring: Light Green
Summer: Green
Fall: Golden Yellow
Sun Tolerance Ratings
Morning Sun
10 / 10
Afternoon Sun
8 / 10
☀️ Morning Sun Guidance:
Highlights the delicate light green and soft peach tones of spring.
☀️ Afternoon Sun Guidance:
Strong upright grower with good durability for its striking coral-red stems.
Image highlights cultivar traits and is not exact photo of available stock. Image is property of Pungo Maples, unauthorized use prohibited.
Get to know your maple
What do these growth habit terms mean?
More than one term can apply. Branch direction, crown shape and size describe different characteristics, and the outline can change as a tree matures.
- Upright
- Main stems and branches emphasize upward growth. An upright tree can still develop a broad canopy.
- Spreading
- Branches extend outward to form a broad canopy. The tree does not have to be wider than it is tall.
- Weeping
- Branches or branchlets arch or hang downward. The tree can still have an upright trunk.
- Rounded
- The crown has a rounded outline. This describes the overall shape rather than the direction of each branch.
- Dwarf
- A cultivar with a smaller natural stature than typical forms of its species. Dwarf describes size, not branch direction or a fixed height limit; it does not automatically mean slow growth.
For example: Bloodgood can grow upright while developing a broad, rounded canopy with spreading branches.
Learn more: NC State plant forms · Bloodgood profile · RHS trees for smaller gardens
Roots & heritage
The story behind Beni Kawa
- Introduction year
- 1987
Beni Kawa's documented introduction is associated with Greer Gardens in Oregon. Washington State University's PNW Plants database explicitly states that the nursery introduced it in 1987. That date records introduction, not necessarily the original selection or discovery. The sources reviewed do not securely establish the original selection location, individual selector, parentage, or whether it arose as a seedling or mutation. Greer Gardens should therefore be credited as introducer without automatically being identified as breeder. The Royal Horticultural Society accepts the cultivar as Acer palmatum 'Beni-kawa' in the Palmatum group and describes its coral-red winter stems, green summer foliage, and yellow autumn color. Its resemblance to Sango Kaku does not establish descent from that cultivar. Patent and cultivar-related registered-trademark status remain unverified.
Explore the sources behind this story
Washington State University PNW Plants: Beni Kawa; introduction by Greer Gardens in Oregon in 1987Royal Horticultural Society: Acer palmatum 'Beni-kawa'; accepted name, Palmatum classification, and ornamental characteristicsUSPTO Patent Public Search; registry accessed, but cultivar-specific patent status not verifiedUSPTO Trademark Search; registry accessed, but cultivar-related registered-trademark status not verified
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