Trident with THREE Leaf arrangement??

[Eric Group]

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)

The triple:
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?

 

[garywood]

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]

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..