Red, lace-leaf Japanese maple is a group of trees selected from the species for burgundy-red foliage, finely dissected leaves, and a graceful weeping habit. Plants will make a haystack, shaped mound of arching branches with smooth, burgundy stems which become gray and sinuous with age. The foliage is opposite, palmately lobed with deep sinuses and fine texture. The panicles of 1/4 to 1/2 in burgundy to red flowers emerge from the same buds as the leaves in spring and are often lost against the colorful foliage. The paired maple seeds or samaras are burgundy turning gray-brown as they mature.

Japanese maples have been cultivated for over 1500 years in Japan and are still considered to be a necessary part of every Japanese landscape. In the fall, people flock to the mountains for "momijigari" or maple viewing each year.