I didn't know that. I know that some variegation and color breaks are caused by a virus but had no idea the shape of the foliage could be also. I've grown a number of these from seed over the past few years and all have produced curly offspring. It takes a while for the foliage to harden and curl but eventually all of them did. This is a fast growing epi. I'm not looking for anything and actually have Disocactus ramulosa but am happy to send seed for postage. LMK Karyn

Hey Karyn, the short answer is yes. Lowe's had a bunch of these both the regular green crests as well as the variegated variety... all grafted. Not sure what is the reason other than the average person purchasing the plant might not kill as fast because the root stock is more tolerant of neglect/abuse. They just dropped the price on these and I was going to purchase several of the variegated plants and see if I could remove them from the stock and root them next spring... getting too cool here to be successful. I do have a variegated crest on its own roots. You just have to give it lots of light and watch the water.

pteroceltis, It looks like you have a bit more experience with this tree than I do. As you can see by my User Name, I'm a big fan of Acer griseum. Here's what I do know that may help you: Seeds: Most seeds contain an embryo and hardly any endosperm to speak of. Another plant that shares this characteristic is the orchid. Understanding how the orchid propagates naturally by seed, I think, can help us understand how griseum does as well. The orchid bursts out millions of dust-like seeds on the forest floor. Those that land on a specific fungi will find the nutrients necessary for the seed to germinate. On their own, they do not have the CHO or the proteins to create roots or shoots. Likewise, griseum needs a food-source for germination. Also, the casing is extremely hard and thick. Scarification really isn't enough. It's a wonder that the tree has made it this far in evolution. Forgive me if you don't believe in evolution. Whether we came from a similar ancestor as the monkey or not, plants do adapt over time, and natural selection does occur. Anyway, some propagators have had success using this understanding and have almost surgically removed the embryos and placed them in a nutrient-rich petri-dish. The embryo germinates and we have a new plant. Vegetative propagation: The general rule is, the younger the stem tissue, the more likely it will root. Seedling cuttings root pretty easily. But, seedlings are small and have very little stem to use. It's like a cycle: Take a seedling, cut it, root it, you now have another seedling. And, to get the original seedling, you have to get the seed to germinate. The trick we use is to almost force the well-established stock plant to succor: Hack it down low to the ground. Then, several immature stems come up. Then, use those to root. But, you have to let it grow green a little to continue to feed the roots. So, let one stem grow as a leader for the season. Ok, that's griseum. But, the other plant you mentioned was cappadocicum. I will not pretend to be an expert on this plant. I know that it is related to truncatum; which easily hybridizes with platanoides (Norway). Is Norway not an aggressive weed up in your part of the country? So, my assumption - and sorry this was so long - my assumption is that Forestfarm used cappadocicum as a rootstock because of it's aggressive tendencies to your area. But, it is not as aggressive as platanoides. So, you have a rootstock that will be extremely successful in your area with an ornamental top. Here's the concern: Maples are broken down into several groups. There really should be several genus' to break them down. Perhaps there will some day. For example, the Sugar Maple Group contains: Sugar, Silver, Red, Bigtooth Boxelder, Black, and some others. Japanese, for example, is not one of them. Nor is griseum. However, Boxelder is. Follow me here. The more related they are, the more compatible they are and the more likely the graft will take and last. I talked with a professor by e-mail at Penn State a few years ago. He was doing a test on graft compatibility of a Red scion and a Sugar stock. It looked successful for six years. During the seventh year, the graft split and the trees fell at the graft. I don't know if griseum and cappadocicum are in the same group or not. I don't believe they are. However, Boxelder is trifolate and is in the Sugar group. cappadocicum is almost a webbed palm. As far as maples go, there isn't a more entire leaf that I've seen. It's the flower, fruit and seed that determines the relatedness, not the leaf. So, I'd ask Forestfarm just how long this union has lasted in their experience. Just because it took in the greenhouse and lasted a few years at the farm, does not mean it will last for a lifetime in someone's landscape. I'm sorry if I confused or frustrated you. I just want you to understand why I would check with the grower their success on it. I'd hate your favorite tree to fall over one of the years during a wind storm. ericpaul

Rina - We are experiencing a strangely warm December weather here, probably due to global warming (not complaining!). We had the nicest weather in the 60s/17degree C this weekend that it felt like Spring! I happened to chance upon my neighbors rose bushes that surprisingly bloomed because of the confusing temperatures. I think if the plant arrives within the next 2 weeks, it should be fine.. Colle - Welcome to the forum! $5 is a great deal! Now you have set yourself for a challenge to clean the plant. Firstly, I can't identify which plant is which. Perhaps labeling them with numbers would help. Secondly, you weren't kidding about the neglect. All the plants seemed extremely etiolated, hence the long skinny stems. My advise would be, since you have so many, is to pot every plant into their own pots individually. That way you can better track their needs and progress. I've never tried propagating a crested stem before -- usually when you snip a succulent of its stem, let it callous and place it into some soil, it will root and grow as a new plant. You might want to experiment that on 1 or 2 plants, especially the really leggy ones. Lastly, you will need lots of light/sun. They color up really well with more light. Also note, not to over expose them with too much sun suddenly, they might get burnt and will look very unsightly.