Maybe a sawtooth oak? I really have no idea.

While the seedling I received from the Alabama Power Company annual arbor day seedling give away didn't come with a pedigree it's a safe bet that they would not invest in giving away non-native species.

I hope it *is* a saw tooth oak. It seems to hit all the marks.

Petioles maybe look too short for sawtooth oak (?), after I have looked at some images online. And I don't know how typical the leaves are that you are showing. Sawtooth also has a sharp leaf tip. Also, sawtooth is native to Asia; not a US native. So hope someone can ID your plant.

Interesting article from Tuscaloosa News. It mentions giving away Sawtooth oak seedlings (which is not native).

More than 5,000 tree seedlings to be given away Saturday

The mystery remains. I will continue to try to identify this plant with some local guys, and post my results. Thanks much for your help.

Maybe Quercus prinus or Quercus muehlenbergii?

Or a Castanea? Any new pictures might spark a new idea. One of the whole trees form and a closeup of older leaves?

Have you called or emailed the Alabama Power company?

I would not hesitate to call it sawtooth oak. It's widely touted as a wildlife-attracting tree and it is being planted as a street tree here in New Jersey, so I see a lot of it. Stopped me in my tracks the first time I saw it, thought it was Castanea. Interesting, it's also already showing up on some lists of invasive or potentially-invasive species. Like, what do power companies know about native plants?

I found this article. That's why I posited chestnut/chinkapin oaks. http://www.montgomerytrees.org/2015/02/seventh-annual-seedling-giveaway/

Boy, that's a nice list of oaks! Cherry bark, Nuttall, and Shumard are three that I would like to get to know. I'm not sure I've ever seen any of them, except maybe as a sapling in some arboretum.

I have emailed our local Cooperative Extension Agent in hopes of getting some help with a definitive id. I will share any helpful information that I receive on the thread.

I got a response from our extension agent. It is as follows:

"Looks like sawtooth oak.

Not a native."

So there you have it in seven words from a fellow who went to tree college.

You didn't need any more information than that, did you? I think that it's a Sawtooth....it's a tree often on the freebie lists, even though it is not a native species.