Acer palmatum Seiryu is notable for being one of the very few laceleaf Japanese Maples with an upright rather than weeping habit. Where most dissectum cultivars mound and cascade to the ground, Seiryu grows 10 to 15 feet tall in a vase-shaped form, its deeply cut, fern-like green leaves carried upward on ascending branches. The effect in the garden is quite different from the familiar weeping laceleaf — vertical rather than horizontal, with a lightness of texture that gives it something of a bamboo-like quality in terms of garden function.

The autumn colour is reliably crimson and orange. It performs in zones 5 to 8 in well-drained, slightly acidic soil with dappled shade. For gardeners who want the fine texture of a laceleaf Japanese Maple but need height rather than spread, Seiryu is the answer that most catalogues contain without sufficient explanation of why it is worth seeking.