【Objective】The Japanese maple (Acer spp.) is an excellent foliage tree species. The previous research has be focused on the change rule or mechanism of leaf color changes in Acer spp. in autumn. This study explored the relationship between the leaf color and the change rule in Japanese maple cultivars for their spatial and temporal distributions, and aimed to provide a reference for discovering and creating color-specific leaf germplasms.【Method】The colors of 28 Japanese maple cultivars were dynamically measured (S1. April 15; S2. April 30; S3. May 15) by using the Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart (RHSCC) and a colorimeter. The differences between leaf color determination methods were compared through a correlation analysis. Japanese maple spring leaf colors were analyzed via a lightness (L^*), chromaticity (C^*) and hue (h^*) three-dimensional dynamic distribution map and clustering and color parameter analyses were conducted to evaluate the change rule and breeding strategy.【Result】① A significant correlation (P < 0.000 1) was observed between the color parameters measured by the chromatogram and the RHSCC, but the coincidence was not high (R² = 0.54-0.74). ② During leaf color change (S₁-S₂-S₃), L^* and C^* rose and then fell, with a peak value in the S₂ period. The optimal hue values for ‘best viewing’ [(h^* between 20°-40° (red), 70°-80° (yellow), 90°-110° (green)] appeared during the S₂ period. ③ The leaf color cluster analysis showed that the 28 Japanese maple varieties were clustered into three major color groups with six sub-groups. There were significant differences in color parameters between groups and sub-groups. Group one, green (A), included the A₁ green and A₂ dark green sub-groups. The color varieties in A₁ were bright and had ornamental values (C^*. 51.17±2.01; L^*. 62.72±3.76). Group two, yellow (B), only had one sub-group, whose color was bright (C^*. 60.60±0.47; L^*. 75.79±1.70). Group three, purplish-red (C), included the C₁ dark purplish-red, C₂ bright red, and C₃ deep purplish-red sub-groups. The color of varieties in the C₂ sub-group was bright (C^*. 26.2 ± 3.36; L^*. 38.25 ± 2.08). ④ The leaf color of the three color lines changed from light to thick then back to light. The leaf color of the second stage (S₂-S₃) was larger than that of the first stage (S₁-S₂). In different stages of the color systems, the color rhythmicity of the purplish-red was best (ΔE' = 15.33) followed by green (ΔE' = 13.94) then yellow (ΔE' = 9.34). The yellow varieties, ‘Dream of Orange’ and ‘Jingui’, maintained high color saturation and brightness in spring (C^* and L^* reached 60.61 and 75.79, respectively) and had a high ornamental value. The color intensity of the three color groups showed a trend from light to strong and then to light. The range of leaf color parameters in the second stage (S₂-S₃) was larger than that in the first stage (S₁-S₂), but the difference between these stages was not significant and showed a nearly equal changing rate. The color difference of purplish-red color group was the highest (ΔE'=15.33), followed by the green (ΔE'=13.94) then yellow (ΔE'=9.34) color groups. The yellow color group, including A. palmatum ‘Orange Dream’ and A. palmatum ‘Katsura’, maintained high color saturation and brightness (C^* and L^* values reached 60.61 and 75.79, respectively) and had a high ornamental value.【Conclusion】The best spring viewing period for Japanese maple is late April. The leaf color differences are most pronounced in the purplish-red color group, followed by the green group. Color differences are the least pronounced in the yellow group. The selection of specific germplasms to be used as hybrid parents may play an important role in directional breeding of high-stability and high-ornamental Japanese maple trees. These results indicate that A₁ and A_2-1 could be used as parents for bright green color breeding and C₂ and C_1-1 could be used as parents for purplish-red color breeding.