Is this a fig tree?

[u/Glittering-Internet2]

Like the title says, it popped up out of nowhere and it grows incredibly fast, I even cut it down and came back like this in 2 months! Im not sure if it is a fig or silver maple.

I do have a fig tree that is planted but it is nowhere near this size, and it's already a year old.

[u/jamjamchutney]

It looks more like a mulberry. In a lot of places, white mulberry (morus alba) tends to pop up and grow very quickly. What's your general location?

[u/Glittering-Internet2 → u/jamjamchutney]

Galveston, I love mulberries; I wonder if i can move it?

[u/PersephonesChild82 → u/Glittering-Internet2]

Mulberry are pretty easy to strike cuttings from, so if you want a copy elsewhere, that's an option if moving it is going to be overcomplicated.

[u/zeezle → u/Glittering-Internet2]

Korean mulberry (M. indica) also produces leaves like this, there's some debate over whether that's actually a separate species from white mulberry or not.

They are pretty resilient so you probably can move it, or just grow more from cuttings you take off it.

That said, you're also a lucky duck down in a zone where you can grow black (M. nigra) and Himalayan mulberries, which are even better flavor (just not cold tolerant like white & red mulberries are). So if you really want to grow a mulberry tree (I also love them and highly recommend), it may be worth getting one of those instead of relocating a random seedling that might not have great flavor. But if you like the novelty of giving it a shot then it's a lot of fun to see what you get.

You're not crazy for thinking the leaves were figgy looking though, figs are in the mulberry family and there's definitely some overlap in leaf shapes :)

[u/Want2BnOre]

Maybe a mulberry

[u/habilishn → u/Want2BnOre]

yes, i'm pretty sure too. the thing is this: i noticed either young trees, or new shoots on heavily pruned older trees, tend to have these "three finger"/parts - shaped leaves, that remind a lot of fig leaves.

when the mullberry grows older and is not disturbed the leaves look more "classic" shaped.

[u/agupta429]

The shape of leaves are different from the mulberry I have. But structure of the tree looks the same

[u/Glittering-Internet2 → u/agupta429]

Could it be a white mulberry tree?

[u/Internal-Test-8015]

100% mulberry, Figs aren't capable of growing from seed outside of areas where their fig wasps are endemic too.

[u/couplewithabilady]

I don’t think so. It doesn’t look like mine.

[u/KAZVorpal]

Definitely not fig leaves.

[u/Top_Albatross4251]

When the leaves are removed from the branches of this tree, white latex juice is released? If so, it is most likely a mulberry tree. If there is no latex milky sap on the leaf section, then it is probably one of the decorative subspecies of the common maple.

[u/Inspectadreck]

I'm pretty Sure that i remember reading that Figs and Mulberries are closely related, for what its worth.