Acer oliverianum ssp. oliverianum X

'Hot Tamale'

Zones 6-9

Heatseekers Series™ 

AREA 51 COLLECTION™ PLANTS THAT ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD

There have been rumors about this red Acer oliverianum selection, that it could handle full sun without burning in much hotter zones than the typical Japanese maple, Acer palmatum. Nurserymen have been looking for this tree for years in Japan. The search for the 'Hot Tamale' Japanese maple is over. 

'Hot Tamale' is a rare Japanese selection of a heat tolerant Chinese maple that leafs out as bright red to deep burgundy. 'Hot Tamale' was found as a chance seedling by the famous Japanese author and maple expert, Masayoshi Yano, and was given the working code name of "Nakahara ben B". We later obtained permission to call this cultivar 'Hot Tamale', adding this to our Heatseekers Series™ of Heat Tolerant Japanese maples for the South.

By late spring, the leaves on this Japanese maple mature to a pleasant olive green.  Mid-summer flushes of new growth on 'Hot Tamale' are a bright red, making a great contrast with the older growth. In the autumn, 'Hot Tamale' will dazzle you with bright yellows and orange-reds to bright crimson leaves. 'Hot Tamale' is sure to make a splash in your garden. 'Hot Tamale' reaches 10-12 ft in height in 15 years making a small to mid-sized tree.

While 'Hot Tamale' adds a lot of color to the landscape and garden, this Japanese maple is very useful. This Acer oliverianum selection expands this possibilities of Japanese maples in a garden. 'Hot Tamale' is exceptionally heat tolerant, allowing it to handle full sun in zones 8 and zone 9 once established. There are even rumors that this maple may even be able to handle zone 10 with protection from hot afternoon sun. While, I have never tried this myself, I encourage you to do so and please report back your results. 

'Hot Tamale' is one of the most heat tolerant Japanese maples we produce. This heat tolerance allows gardeners the ability to bring more ornamental appeal to the southwest exposure in the southern garden. Gardeners in the South have been looking for this Japanese maple for years. This cultivar must be propagated by grafting onto Acer palmatum.

Limited Quantities Available !! As we have over a thousand cultivars of Japanese maples, we often do not have many of each cultivar. We recommend that you buy the Japanese maples you want immediately as we often sell out of certain selections.