Acer palmatum ‘Peve Starfish’ has one of the most unique leaf shapes of any Japanese maple. The edges of the leaves curl under themselves giving the leaves the appearance of a starfish. ‘Peve Starfish’ has burgundy-red leaves in the spring that fade to a more dull burgundy through the summer. Leaves of ‘Peve Starfish’ then turn a bright, vibrant red in the fall. ‘Peve Starfish’ is a small growing tree that will only get about 6 feet tall at maturity.

A few years ago, before I had ever hear of ‘Peve Starfish’, our friend, Frank Brannon, brought us cuttings of a chance seedling he had in his yard that he wanted us to graft. The leaves of this tree curled under themselves in a way that he said looked like a starfish. We planned to propagate the tree and call it ‘Starfish’. Unfortunately, none of the grafts made it, and Frank’s tree died about a year later. About a year or so after that, I learned of ‘Peve Starfish’ and was amazed of its existence. I was pleasantly surprised that the tree we thought we missed out on still essentially existed.

10 Year Size: Height: 4-6 feet Width: 3-5 feet