Look for the 'Nigrum' cultivar of Japanese maple.

Thank you for the quick response. Nigrum seems to change to gray with age. I am wondering if there is some kind of maple that keeps a dark red or black color in its trunk?

But I will definitely add Nigrum to my list of what to look for.

Might be your best bet.

take a look at bloodgood or emperor 1.

Thank you kindly! I will look into Bloodgood, Nigrum, and Emperor I. I am positive that a privately bred cultivar of nigrum was the one I saw a while back. I will try to find the original breeder, but if I can't find them, I have some decent back-ups to look into. Thank you!

If you keep it in a little bit of shade, 'Orangeola' will stay a very dark purplish red. It's a weeper, but there are some nurseries that graft them at 3'.

Moonfire has bark and stems that are almost black in color. It is also very heat tolerant.

-Brett

Have you looked at Acer p. 'Pung Kil'? It has nearly black stems that stay black all year long and I have it in full sun and it doesn't burn. That's it on the left in the photo below (taken in November).

Here is a link that might be useful: Form and Foliage

Wow, i really like the pung kil. I couldn't find good images of moonfire, and what I saw was less intense than the pung kil. Thanks for the help!

You're welcome! I really fell for it and I love the fact that it is so sturdy in full sun. The black bark is lovely now that the leaves are off.

Here is a link that might be useful: Form and Foliage

Alright, decision made. I shall look for the Pung Kil cultivar in nurseries. Thanks again for the help!

Crimson Prince has really dark stems. May be more readily available than Pung kil.