~ Editing this original post to say that I never got an exact ID on this Oak so I've left it at the general entry for Oak (Quercus)

I was out pruning today and found this little woody shrub?, tree? growing in one of the flower beds. I have no clue as to what it might be and I hope these photo's are clear enough to see ... it's very windy out this afternoon:

I think an oak.

Maybe a water oak.

Thanks Dave, I wondered if some sort of Oak was a possibility ... there are lots of types of Oak down here, 14 listed in my Florida native pant book. I was going to dig this one up but I think I will let it grow to see which Oak it turns out to be.

Maybe someone knows better than me on this plant. I have seen that same thing growing around here...

I've been looking through my Florida plant book and googling for Oaks that grow in this zone. It looks a lot like Quercus phellos (Willow Oak) which is native from New York to North Central Florida and west to Texas. My book says it has a fibrous root system making it easier to transplant than many other oaks so I might try moving it. Currently it's growing right up under a Magnolia tree and if it's an oak that's going to get to 50' I'd prefer it farther out in the yard.

I did consider willow oak, but your seedling's leaves have some shape to them while willow oak leaves seem to have long, thin and straight leaves.

Oaks are notoriously difficult to identify as saplings (sometimes adult trees aren't that much fun to ID either!). That said, it might be Laural Oak (Quercus laurifolia) or its close relative, Water Oak (Quercus nigra)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/pr...

LOL, for now I'm just going to call it an Oak sapling. We also have Q. laurifolia and Q. nigra around these parts ... so it's hard to say which one it might be.