Shishigashira Japanese Maple

The Shishigashira Maple (Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'), often called the Lion’s Head Maple, is a unique Japanese maple cultivar known for its compact, upright growth and distinctive curled leaves.

Key Features:

Leaves: Small, crinkled, and densely packed along the branches, giving the tree a textured and sculptural look. In spring and summer, they’re deep green; in fall, they turn golden yellow to bright orange with red highlights.

Growth habit: Slow-growing, upright.

Bark: Smooth when young, becoming more textured with age.

Fall colour: Especially prized for its fiery autumn display, often showing multiple colours at once.

Care:

Light: Prefers full sun to partial shade. In hotter climates, afternoon shade helps prevent leaf scorch.

Watering: Regular. Avoid soggy soil.

Quirky Facts 🌿

"Lion’s Head" look: The name Shishigashira literally means Lion’s Head in Japanese because the clustered, curly leaves resemble the mane of a lion. When trained in bonsai, it looks even more like a mythical lion sculpture (shishi).

Bonsai favourite: Because of its naturally slow growth, tight leaf clusters, and sculptural form, it’s one of the most prized Japanese maples for bonsai—some 200-year-old bonsai specimens exist.

Fall fireworks: Unlike many maples that shift from green to a single fall colour, Shishigashira often shows multiple colours at once—green, yellow, orange, and red on the same branch.

Longevity: With proper care, it can live for over 100 years, gradually becoming a gnarled, almost ancient-looking tree.

Garden “jewel”: In traditional Japanese gardens, it’s often placed near a gate or entrance as a focal point—almost like a guardian tree.