I received several twigs from the Arbor Day Foundation last year and they are sprouting leaves this year. If you're familiar with them, for a small donation, they send you ten trees with "trunks" painted different colors to identify them. I have three that are painted white which means they are supposed to be Red Buds. Well, I may not know much about plants/trees/shrubs, but I do know ONE thing ... and that is what a Red Bud leaf looks like. Out of the three "white" trees, only one is a Red Bud. The photos below show what the leaves on the other two look like. Does anyone recognize what type of tree or bush these will be?

It looks like you got a couple little elm trees. I think I'd rather have the Redbuds.

I once got trees from Arbor Day but one grew up to be a Lilac.

Daisy

Stems and leaves sure remind me of Ulmus (Elm) too. Not sure if it is one of these but I found two Elms listed at the Arbor Day Foundation Website: http://www.arborday.org/trees/...

Texas Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia)
Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia)

My neighbor has a huge Chinese Elm in his backyard and the seedlings are constantly popping up all over my yard and in my containers, it's considered an invasive in some areas: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/in...

Perhaps the young trees look different, but I have both Chinese and Cedar elms and their leaves are smaller and darker than those.

My first thought was birch...?

@porkpal, you could be right. Those pale green leaves could very well be a variety of Birch rather than Elm! Leaves of young elms don't appear as pubescent/soft or as light in color as those in GardenGoobers photos.

The Arbor Day Foundation lists two Birch trees:
River Birch (Betula nigra)
Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)

For comparison, here are leaf photos of River Birch, B. nigra:
http://www.bing.com/images/sea...
http://www.bing.com/images/sea...

I agree. It may well be a birch. The other identifying give away is that elm leaves are lopsided. I read this post earlier but didn't have time to respond. After thinking about it, I suspect it is a River Birch.

If so... They are awesome trees.

I agree - River Birch.

Unless River Birch leaves are a different shape when young, I doubt it is that.

http://www.uniprot.org/taxonom...

http://classes.hortla.wsu.edu/...

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcree...

The closest I have found is Planera aquatica, I can't see any hairs on the leaves though. The leaves of the plant in question look to be quite hairy on the upper surface.

http://www.carolinanature.com/...

Twig: Slender, slightly zigzag, initially hairy but becoming glabrous, reddish to gray-brown, lateral buds short, reddish brown, blunt tipped.

http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dend...

Thanks everyone. A Lilac or Birch would have been much better as I have acres of Elms. So much for my Redbuds and the Arbor Day Foundation. Reckon it's off to the nursery to buy me some Redbuds!!

Thanks a bunch yall!! Greatly appreciate it.