A Seedy Situation

We were working in the garden when I noticed this odd-looking bit. 

On closer inspection, I found it was a sweet gum ball that had sprouted several of the tiny seeds still held in it.

There are not any sweet gum trees close to our plot. Because of the lack of chlorophyll in the new growth, I have to wonder if it was in a bag of yard mulch that was brought out to the garden.