A closeup of the top

Here's the mutant, growing out of and wrapped around the bottom of the willow.

Last pic, you can see the mutant trunk growing straight up in the center of this pic.

Funny!

Looks almost like a Bradford hybrid growing out of it. I knew bradfords were evil lol.

More seriously, I wonder if that golden weeping willow is supposed to be a grafted tree and the understock is groing like happens on crab apples. Although weeping willows root readily so I dunno if I would bother grafting one.

Would ya happen to have the tag still for any reason?

Yep, that was my first thought as well, mama plant is showing herself but doesn't look like a willow, at least. Nope, no tag. I remember the label saying "japanese golden weeping willow". That's all I've got, this tag slipped through the cracks, apparently. Most tree tags seem to, for some reason. It's almost like I think I can actually remember the trees that I plant with no error, but keep everything else. I have no idea who I'm trying to kidd.

Looks more like a Ligustrum and they seed themselves anywhere. This time it just happened to be more creative than most!

Yep, one little seed got in a certain spot and made it from there. That is something!

I find it very interesting that the other tree is actually attached to the willow, the bottom of the trunks are as one, grown into the other.

So, now what? Any way to get rid of the interloper? I know if I cut it down from where it clears the willow, it will just grow back. Can't pull it away from the willow, it is literally a part of the trunk. Well, crud.

Yeah, nasty. What about cutting the Ligustrum as low as you can (no need to get crazy about it and risk damaging the willow) and painting the cut stump with concentrated Roundup? Use a paintbrush for accuracy, don't try to dribble or spray. That's what I'd try.

I have these damn things seed underneath large shrubs and I don't catch them until they pop out the top a la yours. By then their trunk is an inch across and I resort to the cut and paint trick.

Good luck!

Sara

I saw something like this happen at my parents. They had a fraxinus excelsior growing into a acer campestre. We cut off the fraxinus and stuck it into the ground and became a tree with basically no transplant shock (ash can be propagated from truncheons). Last I heard, there is still some ash leaves in that maple...

I LOVE stuff like this! It is one thing to see the same species merge with one another, but seeing two unrelated species like these fusing is sooo amazing to me

Here is a link that might be useful: Appropriate background music for this topic

Not sure that cutting then treating the encroacher will work, as the trunks are fused together and I would hate to paint it and the Roundup travel through to the willow and kill it. Yikes.

As a side question, why doesn't this willow weep? Is it possibly just the variety? I've looked at pics on the internet and don't see any that grow upright like this one. Any ideas?