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Identifying a Two-Tone Weeping Japanese Maple

Shoshana saw a striking weeping Japanese maple with half green, half red foliage—appearing as two trees fused. She wants to identify and source it.

Likely Explanation

This is almost certainly a grafted chimera or a variegated cultivar with sectorial chimerism (genetically distinct tissues side by side). Some cultivars like Acer palmatum 'Beni shi en' or 'Kagiri nishiki' show pink/green/white variegation, but a clean half-and-half split suggests a graft union between two cultivars on a weeping rootstock (e.g., 'Viridis' green weeper + 'Tamukeyama' red weeper).

How to Find It

Visit specialty Japanese maple nurseries (e.g., MrMaple, Topiary Gardens, local arboretums).
Search for "grafted dual-color weeping Japanese maple" or "chimera maple".
Ask about Acer palmatum 'Hana fubuki' or 'Ukigumo' (floating clouds) for variegated weepers.

Caveats

Chimeras can revert (one color takes over).
Hardiness varies; ensure the cultivar suits your zone.
These are rare and expensive.

Contact a specialist nursery with a photo for the best match.

Shrubs: Japanese Maple Sunscald/Herbicide Damage: Environmental Stress Diagnosis; Coral Bark Japanese Maple Trunk Discoloration: Cold Injury; Copper Beech and Japanese Maple Seedling Care; Transplanting 'Seiryu' Japanese Maple: Fall vs. Spring, Root Ball Size, and DIY Limits; Japanese Maple Pruning Shock: Light Reduction and Water Competition; Fireglow Japanese Maple: Size, Sun Tolerance, and Care in Denver; Japanese Maple Freeze Damage: Spring and Fall Fertilizing; Yellow Fungus on Japanese Maple Branches: Likely Wood Rot, Not Surface Fungus; Moving Large Japanese Maples: A Step-by-Step Guide for the Determined; Rehydrating a Hydrophobic Root Ball on Japanese Maple

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