Help Identifying This Sapling

[BlackMulberry]

I found this little sapling growing between a cement side walk and porch at the apartment building I live in. I put it in a little pot. Can anyone tell me what kind of tree it is? It has 3 different leaf types. Also, should I be concerned about the brown spots on the leaf and yellowing of the lower leaves? I'm a beginner. Thank you!

 

[Gabler]

It's a seedling that still has its cotyledons on the stem. Let it mature a bit, and then it will be easier to discern what it is. It looks like it could be some sort of maple, but that's just a guess. It would help if you put your location in your user profile.

 

[BlackMulberry]

Thank you! I'm in Pennsylvania. Thank you for the advice, I'll have to figure out how to do that.

 

[CapeCodBonsai]

My plant identifying app, “PictureThis” wants it to be a Norway Maple. If there is a large maple anywhere around the place you collected it, pull a leaf off of the suspected mother tree. If you see white, milky sap at end of the petiole, it’s a Norway Maple.

 

[Gabler]

My plant identifying app, “PictureThis” wants it to be a Norway Maple. If there is a large maple anywhere around the place you collected it, pull a leaf off of the suspected mother tree. If you see white, milky sap at end of the petiole, it’s a Norway Maple.

A quick image search for Norway maple seedlings leads me to believe it is in fact a Norway maple.

 

[BlackMulberry]

That would make sense. We have many varieties of maple trees in the area. I live in a town and the trees are in neighbors yards so unfortunately I can't go on a hunt to check it out. I wonder do the Norway Maple saplings have 3 different leaf types? Thank you all for the input.

 

[CapeCodBonsai]

I wonder do the Norway Maple saplings have 3 different leaf types? Thank you all for the input.

I have to pull those things up like dandelions on my property because I have several mature trees that rain down seed every Autumn. The first two “leaves” that appear are the cotyledons. The cotyledons are pseudo-leaves that the seedling emerges with to help get it through until true leaves can be formed. With Norway maples, I’ve noticed that the first two leaves are a juvenile form of leaf that look nothing like Norway Maple leaves. The next set of leaves that your seedling produces will look like mini-versions of the mature maple leaf shape we’re all familiar with.