|Acer japonicum is a tree in its native habitat and a large tree-like shrub in cultivation. This bushy, deciduous tree with rounded mid-green leaves turn red in the autumn. Small, red-purple flowers appear in April in long drooping corymbs. Leaves tend to scorch in hot, dry weather.
The cultivar 'Itaya' is similar to the cultivars, 'Takinogawa' or 'Vitifolium'. A treelike shrub with more than one stem.