Trident with THREE Leaf arrangement??

Eric Group

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I have this little Trident I trunk chopped earlier this year- it was an additional option for a Forest planting I have- long, straight trunk, ZERO interest... so I chopped it low, and now I am letting it grow. Today I noticed something odd.. Normally leaves on Maples have an opposite arrangement. 2 leaves, one across from another.. This guy has a branch with THREE LEAVES to a node? Is this a common thing? I have never seen it before...
Normal branch (you can see the mutated one behind it)
DSC01665.JPG
The triple: DSC01667.JPG DSC01664.JPG
Odd isn't it? Obviously, as you can see, most the tree has regular, two leaf opposite arrangement... just that one branch is an odd ball. Is this something good/ bad? Remove the offender or clone the Hell out of it and sell it as a new cultivar?
 

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garywood

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Eric, while not common it does occur. I encountered this a long time ago. One of my JM landscape maples did this. I thought I would propagate this for a new cultivar but it reverted to opposing buds. I tried growing out a few on the stock plant and they reverted also Not saying yours will but just my experience.
 

Eric Group

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Eric, while not common it does occur. I encountered this a long time ago. One of my JM landscape maples did this. I thought I would propagate this for a new cultivar but it reverted to opposing buds. I tried growing out a few on the stock plant and they reverted also Not saying yours will but just my experience.
Thanks Gary!
I suspected that might happen as it grew out.. Especially considering the rest of the branches are normal.. I am thinking this is some sort of adaptation by the tree to increase production after the big chop. Kind of like a Juniper reverting to juvenile foliage after you cut it back..
 
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