‘Filifera Purpurea’ Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum ‘Filifera Purpurea‘ a/k/a ‘Atrolinear”

Other Names: Ribbon Leaf Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum ‘Atrolineare’

Plant Details

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 5a-9a Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Deciduous Tree

Height at Maturity: 8-12′

Width at Maturity: 8-10′
Spacing: 14’+ for space between plants

Growth Habit / Form: Upright, Vase-Shaped

Growth Rate: Moderate

Foliage Color in Spring: Red with Purple cast

Foliage Color in Summer: Bronze Green to Purplish Green

Foliage Color in Fall: Brick Red to Orange-Red

Light Needs: Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, All Day Filtered Sun, Sun or Mostly Sun

Water Needs: Average, lower when established

Soil Type: Sandy, Loam & Clay (Condition heavy clay soils when planting)

Drainage: Moist But Well Drained – Well drained soil is a must!

Soil pH: 5.0 – 7.0 is ideal

Maintenance: Low

Resistances: Deer, Heat Tolerant, Sun Tolerant, Disease

Description

One of the most elegant Japanese maples in our gardens, ‘Filifera Purpurea’, also known as ‘Atrolineare’, is an upright, vase-shaped small tree featuring finely dissected, very thin ribbon-like leaves that provide soft and beautiful texture in the garden. The leaves emerge a deep red with a purplish cast changing to a bronze-green in summer and then to dazzling shades of red and orange in the fall. At 8 to 12 feet in height, this one is a fine addition to smaller garden spaces and is excellent for growing in containers.

Landscape & Garden Uses

To showcase its magnificence and beauty, the Filifera Purpurea japanese Maple is best used in landscape design as a focal point specimen to draw attention to a specific area of the home or landscape. That said, you can plant them in groupings of three or plant one on both sides top frame an entryway. An ideal selection for landscape beds or in containers.

Suggested Spacing: At least 14 feet apart for space between trees

Note: One Japanese Maple can make a landscape…that is, if you don’t overcrowd it with other trees and plants. Therefore, when choosing companions to plant under or around your Japanese Maple, make sure to select low-growing shrubs or groundcover plants that won’t interfere at all with your tree.

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 5a, where this Japanese Maple variety is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.

Growing Preferences

Though delicate looking, Japanese Maples are actually very tough and long-lived trees that are very easy to grow. Container culture can extend their useful range. They are extremely easy to grow in containers, a practice taken to its most extreme form in the art of bonsai.

In their natural habitat, Japanese Maples are understory trees, growing in dappled forest sunlight at the edges of woodlands. Ideally they prefer to be grown in similar conditions. That said, Filera Purpurea Japnese Maple is one that will tolerate more sun than others.

Most any average garden soil will grow Japanese Maples. They prefer a moist but well-drained soil rich in organic matter. As with so many other ornamental plants and trees, constantly soggy or wet soil can be problematic. So make sure to plant your Japanese Maple in a well-drained site.

Helpful Articles

Click on a link below to get helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Japanese Maple trees.

How To Plant A Japanese Maple Tree In The Ground

How to Plant A Japanese Maple Tree In A Pot

How To Fertilize And Water A Japanese Maple Tree

How To Prune A Japanese Maple

Plant Long & Prosper!

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