Acer palmatum 'Koto-no-ito' Japanese Maple
A Japanese Maple with narrow-lobed, strap-like foliage. In fact, ‘Koto-no-ito’ displays two distinct leaf types: the foliage that emerges in spring (on “old” wood) is very fine and essentially string-like. Later in the season, the leaves that emerge on “new growth” have lobes that are longer and broader, although still considered “narrow.”
The strap-like leaves emerge green with crimson tints, but soon become all green -- and remain so throughout the summer. Fall color is golden yellow, sometimes becoming orange or crimson. Often, the earlier, string-like foliage turns golden first, creating a gold and green effect until the broader, later-emerging foliage develops its own fall color.
‘Koto-no-ito’ is a dense, upright grower with a vase-shaped habit and a soft, graceful appearance. Its 10-year size is about 6 feet tall by 4 feet wide. At maturity (approximately 25 years), expect a size of 10-15 feet tall by 8-10 feet wide.