The ivy-leaved maple is native to Japan, and is hardy to USDA zone 5. It is a small deciduous tree, growing to 30 feet tall and as many wide. It can be allowed to grow with multiple trunks, as the specimen here (Fig. 3). Its leaves are opposite, compound, with 3 leaflets, each 2.5 to 3 inches long. Leaflets are thin and glabrous (devoid of hair or pubescence), unlike other trifoliate maples. Autumn foliage is variable, red or yellow.

Small yellow, fragrant flowers in racemes appear in early spring. Green fruit grows in samaras (commonly called "helicopters or whirlybirds") about 1 inch long. They turn brown before being scattered by the wind, sometimes as far as 1/4 mile from the parent tree. Bark is smooth, ashy-grey. This elegant, spreading tree makes an excellent specimen plant, best grown in full sun, but can tolerate light shade as an understory tree. This tree may be propagated by softwood cuttings. Most seeds do not contain embryos. (1)