Acer palmatum 'Nakakamado Weeping'

Rare Nakakamado Weeping Treasure Japanese Maple

Zones 5-9

First off, we do not condone taking cuttings from this tree in Japan as it is roped off and protected. The original grafts were obtained by an unknown Japanese nurserymen and given to a friend of ours in the United States. Our grafts come from this source, not from our personal visit to this tree. 

'Nakakamado Weeping' is one of the oldest Japanese maples on record in Japan. The stakes holding up the original tree are listed at over 200 years old. It is one of Japan's national treasures. It is cascading and twisting with a green palmate leaf, not a laceleaf. The fall color is pictured below as a bright yellow to orange. When we visited this tree in 2018 in Japan, it was quite a site to see this beautiful tree in perfect fall color. We had heard rumors of this original tree, and the story of how it sits on a hill near a temple in the Fukushima prefecture. Until this visit, we only had our experience with the grafted scion material a famous southern nurserymen had given us. Seeing this tree was breathtaking. This tree was in existence before the United States existed. 

What you can expect from this tree at a much younger age is a weeping, swooping habit with lots of curves, good vigor and great fall color. I would expect 'Nakakamado Weeeping' to reach 5-6 ft in height by 6-7 ft in width in 10 years. Stake this tree for an even more dramatic twisting and swooping effect like the original. 

Another person has brought this tree to the United States under the name 'Treasure' or 'National Treasure', but these trees are in private collections and not currently in the nursery trade. 

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.