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The potential markers of juvenility (cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside) in autumn leaves of seven Acer palmatum Thunb. cultivars were investigated. Three shoot positions were marked on each cultivar—crown shoot, middle shoot, and basal shoot—and the anthocyanins were analyzed using HPLC-MS. The results showed great differences in cyanidin 3-glucoside and cyanidin 3-rutinoside concentrations among seven cultivars; moreover, significant differences in cyanidin 3-glucoside content levels were also observed among three shoot positions regardless of the cultivar analyzed. The concentration decreased basipetally and reached levels up to 52 times higher in leaves obtained from crown shoots in comparison to basal shoot leaves. Therefore, the content level of cyanidin 3-glucoside can be defined as a quantitative marker of positional effect in all the Acer palmatum Thunb. cultivars analyzed. The content level of cyanidin 3-rutinoside did not express the same positional dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]