No not normal.

The tree has been damaged a year or so ago and it now trying to encapsulate the damage.

Can we get some pictures of it a little further away?

Also, move the mulch back from the trunk and see if you can locate root flare. The tree appears to be planted too deep but we can't really tell from the pictures provided.

Two of the trunks look like that. It had damage (the bark was scraped) on it when the grower delivered it to us, but they said it would be fine. Now I'm wondering if that was a problem.

One trunk was dead this spring, so we cut that one off.

Quite possible the tree was planted too deep so the root flare(s) are being smothered. Most likely it will have to be replaced.

I'm not well versed in crape mertles so someone else will have to chime in for another opinion.

And yes, if the growers delivered it that way, I'd demand a refund or replacement. There is no way a tree with the bark scraped off will be 'Okay'.

This is the trunk with the mulch pulled back.

could be a combination of both, a damaged tree, plus improperly planted. That tree should never have been accepted in the first place.

I'd contact the seller. Many have a warranty or the like that would cover this sort of thing. If he won't do anything to fix the problem. I'd find a different nursery to give my business to.

Replacement or refund would be the only remedy for this situation.

did i miss how long ago it was delivered???

if less than a year.. you may have a claim with an honest seller .. .. if more than a year .. i doubt it ...

was it a huge transplant?? ..next time.. buy smaller .. and do it yourself ... you can be more careful ...

besides a smaller plant recovers from the stresses of all that.. and can outgrow a large transplant in a few years.. mostly because it hasnt lost so much root mass ...

it hard to heal.. and grow roots ..

ken

oh.. and first pic.. small wound.. healing nicely ... and harmless lichens .. which are to be ignored.. other than how cool they look ...

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=lichens+on+tree+trunk&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

Are you in a suitable winter climate area for these? Because the damage looks like it could be due to cold exposure.

I'm south and west of Raleigh, NC, so they are usually extremely hard in this area.

They arrived with the damage already present so where the production facility was located would be what mattered. (When I asked where you were I was thinking more generally, like maybe climate region or even State).

Would it be best to cut all the struggling trunks back to about 6" before the new growth next spring? It's a hard tree to kill in our area, so I'm not sure what our next step would be for it. The grower is local and will not replace it, but I'd like to save it if possible and not just pull it up entirely unless it's eventually going to die anyway.