Growth Rate
Slow
Moderate
Fast
Fast
Vigorous growth reported by Bennett's Creek Nursery; other nurseries describe moderate growth.
PUNGO MAPLES
Virginia Beach Japanese Maple Nursery
Emperor I
Acer Palmatum
● In Stock
☀️ Full Sun
🔴 Red Summer
Cultivar Description & Characteristics
The Emperor I Japanese Maple is a premier, highly resilient cultivar exceptionally well-suited for the coastal climate and humid summers of Virginia Beach. It emerges in spring with a vibrant, translucent purple-maroon flush, maintains its rich burgundy-red canopy through the heat of mid-summer without fading to green, and transforms into a spectacular, bright fire-engine scarlet in the fall. Reaching a mature height and width of 15 to 20 feet with a graceful, upright vase-shaped form, this low-maintenance landscape favorite provides strong structural appeal, excellent late-frost protection by leafing out two weeks later than other varieties, and reliable resilience against coastal summer sun and heat.
10-Yr Height
12'
10-Yr Width
8'
Seasonal Foliage Spectrum
Spring: Purplish-Red
Summer: Burgundy-Red
Fall: Scarlet-Red
Sun Tolerance Ratings
Morning Sun
10 / 10
Afternoon Sun
8 / 10
☀️ Morning Sun Guidance:
Performs exceptionally well in morning light, displaying a translucent purple-maroon flush.
☀️ Afternoon Sun Guidance:
Highly resilient against coastal summer sun and heat, maintaining burgundy-red color.
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
Growth Habit & Size
Upright · Rounded
Upright tree developing a rounded mature crown; it can become broad as well as tall.
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 Emperor I
- Cultivar origin
- Red Maple Nursery, Media, Pennsylvania, United States
- Discovered / selected by
- Donald G. Wolff, credited by his son Richard P. Wolff in a firsthand 1991 IPPS paper
- Collection
- Red Maple Nursery
Emperor I traces to the Wolff family's Red Maple Nursery in Media, Pennsylvania. In his 1991 International Plant Propagators' Society paper, Richard P. Wolff explicitly credited his father, Donald G. Wolff, with finding the seedling selection called Emperor One. Richard described approximately thirty years of observation and experimental testing, emphasizing its retention of dark red foliage during heat and drought compared with Bloodgood. That comparison does not establish Bloodgood as a parent. Later nursery accounts often credit Richard with development; Boyd Nursery also attributes subsequent commercial production to Don Schmidt Nursery in Oregon. Selection, evaluation, and commercial introduction therefore should be distinguished. An exact selection or introduction year remains unconfirmed. Botanical collections document the plant as Acer palmatum 'Wolff', marketed under Emperor I.
Explore the sources behind this story
Richard P. Wolff, Propagation of New Japanese Maples Cultivars, IPPS Combined Proceedings 41 (1991), pp. 468–471; firsthand selection and evaluation accountNurseries Caroliniana: Acer palmatum 'Emperor 1'; Richard Wolff and Red Maple Nursery locationBoyd Nursery: Emperor One history; later account of development and commercial productionThe Dawes Arboretum: Acer palmatum 'Wolff' Emperor IU.S. plant patent PP36842, Autken1; specification identifies Emperor 1 as not patented, reproduced by JustiaUSPTO Patent Public Search; official patent registry consultedJustia: EMPEROR I, U.S. registration 1214252, serial 73328500; historical registration and cancellationUSPTO TSDR: official record endpoint for serial 73328500; case status not retrievable during this reviewTrademarkElite: Canadian EMPEROR I registration TMA430490, application 725778; reported cancellation
Cultivar information
Patent & trademark information
- Patent & Royalty Status
- United States: the specification of USPP36842 ('Autken1') describes 'Emperor 1' as not patented; that patent covers Autken1, not Emperor I. No royalty or public-domain conclusion is drawn.
- Registered Trademark
- EMPEROR I: U.S. reg. 1214252, serial 73328500, cancelled 1989-04-21 (Justia); Canada reg. TMA430490, application 725778, cancelled 2025-02-03 (TrademarkElite). Official registry status could not be independently retrieved.
📊 Inventory and Pricing
● Live Data
Pungo Maples Onsite Inventory
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| 15 Gallon | $185.00 | SOLD |
