DECIDUOUS ID HELP PLEASE

cruising through the beautiful folks neighborhood 2 summers ago and found this on the curb, it was about 4-5' tall, root ball and all...
it has now lived through 2 summers so i guess i would now like to know what it is if anyone would like to hazard a guess ?
(a non-bonsai non-arborist friend thought maybe river birch ?)

From the pictures, the leaves seem to be opposite so it can't be birch or alder, tho the leaves are similar. The closest I can find is Arrowwood Viburnum, but that's not supposed to grow in your neck of the woods, and the teeth on the leaf seem a bit too coarse.

Of course it could be an exotic from Europe or Asia and if so all bets are off. Or it could be a shrub, and I have few books that have shrubs from the far north pictured.

But the opposite leaves are the chief identifier, in my mind. And, of course, the very coarse teeth.

We need Dave Brunner.

Hello Kevin (and Hello Jim; BTW - I prefer David to Dave - I am rather attached to my Id...)

Kevin, I think Jim is on the right track!  My guess for your tree would be Viburnum dentatum, Southern Arrowwoood.  Viburnum is a genus in the Adoxaceae, a family which includes Viburnums and Elderberries.

There a many examples of good Vibernum spp. bonsai, but the large leaf size would indicate a bigger tree as optimal.

The flower clusters are lovely on this species, but they are borne on new growth, so flowering a bonsai will be challenging.

I wish you all the best with this tree!

David B.

thanks guys... (i have a book on identifying species but i cant seem to find it)
when it comes out of hibernation i will look for some verifiers on the arrowwood...

but, i got it summer of 2013 and i didnt see any flowering on this spring's new growth...
unless, i'm embarrassed to say, i dont quite understand what is meant by "borne on new growth"
(i feel like i'm having an attack of cerebelum flatulance )

David Brunner wrote: BTW - I prefer David to Dave - I am rather attached to my Id

david - is that I.D. or "Id" ?

Technically, the medical term is cerebral flatulence.

David . . . my only problem with it being V. dentatum is, as I said, that my books say it doesn't grow even close to Wisconsin. I suppose it could be an ex-nursery plant, but why would a nursery have one of those up there?

if it helps: i believe it was a landscape planting that the owner pulled out
(i picked it up at the time of year where everyone was allowed to put that sort of thing on the curb for the village to pick-up)

so maybe it was from a nursery...

persian parottia doesnt grow here either, but i did find a nursery here that is giving them a try...
(and if they survive the winter, they will be selling all that they have to the milwaukee AAC !)

Take it to your local Agriculture Extension agent. If they can't ID it then they should be able to send a sample off to your university. Good to remember for many of our questions.

My guess would be Althea - Rose of Sharon - a member of the hibiscus family
or possibly one of the other hardy hibiscus - Laterveria is a name that comes to mind. There are a number of Hibiscus hybrids out there, being bred for hardiness and large flower size.

To see flowers one would have to let foliage extend, they are late spring & summer blooming. Try not pruning it for one season, and see if it blooms.

Althea can make a passable bonsai - especially in medium to larger sizes.

I could be way off, but that is my guess of the day.

It looks like tag alder to me. But I can't for the life of me think why anyone would have it in their yard.

Jim – The University of Wisconsin Stevens Point herbarium lists collections of Viburnum dentatum from the state.  It seems to have occasionally escaped cultivation.   My references indicate it as hardy to USDA zone 2.

Kevin – I don’t think your tree is a hibiscus or alder as these would have alternate leaves and your tree has clearly opposite leaves.

Thanks for the fun - I hope this is helpful,
David B.

it sure is helpful david... thanks to you and everyone else

Close but no cigar. V. dentatum has rounder leaves and smaller teeth. Birch have smaller, alternate leaves. Take it to your extension service.
Iris

after the viburnum tip, i did some googling along those lines and thought the same thing based on the leaves in the first photo...
but the leaves in the last photo seemed closer to what the arrow wood should look like...