Birch?

With a leaf 6” long?

Basswood? Tilia americana, perhaps.

tj

Thanks.

c. clark. Leaves that I picked off top were larger than birch.

floral — that’s what I said. Thus rule.

Tsuga, thanks. I will explore those.

I couldn’t figure out how to cross post this to the Kitchen table forum, So there’s a duplicate post there but with more conversation on it. Unfortunately I’ve got wild tendinitis so I can’t communicate very well in the This recognition on my device isn’t the best. In addition I’m having a hell of a time typing into garden web Houzz.

link for KT exchange:

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/6208894/seeking-tree-id-1#n=16

TJ, Tilia americana does look promising for an ID, but the leaf margin is apparently not double serrate on the basswood.

Is this tree the same as Linden? I think a neighbor might have a linden or a tulip poplar. I wonder where the seeds could’ve come from if she doesn’t have one. This lone sapling just shot up very quickly.

If it turns out be a Tilia americana, I might want to move it closer to me house for shade. (Wish I’d not been convinced to remove a large red oak shading the west side of the house.)

I still think birch. The tree bark looks like textbook birch to me, as well as the buds. If you obtained those leaves off the terminal branch then I bet they are larger than "normal" leaves and not indicative of the "normal" leaf size for the species. My young betula pendula, which is growing 2.5-3 feet per year is making massive leaves that are at least twice the size of the mature betula pendua I have, especially on the top limbs. Perhaps this is how birches behave when young? Anyway, I'm thinking paper birch, betula papyrifera, it fits the geographic region and the bark is dark when young and the normal leaf size says 2-4", so a 6" leaf from a terminal branch does seem possible. But take all this with a massive grain of salt and I await to be probably definitively proven wrong. lol

I don't think there is much doubt it is a hazel, Corylus species. They do have a very close relationship with birch so that is an understandable guess. But I would be surprised to see many birches regularly producing leaves of that size and shape.

L Clark, thank you. I grow paper birches And cannot resist sprinkling seeds here and there but I don’t need to do that because birds do it for me and all I have to do is not more than down. I’ve transplanted some of all different sizes. Do you want any I’ll mail them to you :-)

I really thought this was a birch, but got busy and it got rainy rainy and then hotter than the devil here and I got busy and forgot about it but never got around to moving it. I have large birches in my yard and some of them I planted or transplanted when they were just saplings. I guess that’s why I thought this tree was a birch and for all I know it could be. I think we have gray birches as well and maybe yellow Birch. We used to have to type that smell great like wintergreen (wild native tree). I may just have to wait until next spring to confirm that it is a birch. But boy did it shoot up faster than any birch I’ve ever had so somebody must’ve fed it steroids.

Yes, I am beginning to think that the leaves at the very top might be an aberration. I should’ve gotten out earlier before the leaves fell. But one thing I did notice is that the leafs persisted late into the year, and the leaves on my paper birch is all were off Much earlier. My paper birch leaves usually turn a golden yellow. These look more yellow brown. I’ve never seen anyone of the paper birch as I have produced a leaf as big as the one or two or three I picked off at the top. That’s what made me think it was some other critter.

I won’t be cutting this thing down or anything so spring will give me more information. I am a tree hoarder. They grow fast around here, and by the time I noticed that they are too invasive, I can’t just pull them up with my hands. I have another tree I need people to help me identify so can somebody tell me how to cross post for the kitchen table as well? Because I couldn’t find it in the list Offered when I selected “ Next” ..

Of course, I now want this tree to be a Tilia americana. Or a hazelnut.

edit clean up

gardengal for the win

I posted more at KT forum.

So, it looks like my mystery sapling is likely an American hazelnut. That’s good.

Thanks, everyone. All of you jave been very helpful. Gardengal, floral and Patricia seem to agree — very likely American hazelnut. Nice.

I missed the other thread. oops.

Looks more like a birch than a hazel to me. The leaves at the tip of young vigorous shoots are often larger than the typical, and frequently hang on later in the fall.

bark on one of my young potted birch trees for comparison

Agree that stem-bark of OP's looks like birch.

I’ll send DNA to 23 & me.