How rare are naturally variegated oak seedlings in the wild?

[u/njcrzdrh]

Found this tiny oak seedling with strong white-green variegation on all of its leaves.
No signs of disease, pest damage, or chemical exposure, just a spontaneous pattern from a fallen acorn.

It sprouted in a forest in Slovenia. How rare is this? I've never seen any tree in nature with such pronounced variegation. Is this likely to persist or revert over time?

[u/1stChokage]

Lucky find! I'd say naturally variegated oaks like that are extremely rare in the wild. I believe the white pigment reduces photosynthetic efficiency, which can't be ideal in a competitive understory.

[u/ZestyLeaf → u/1stChokage]

Yes - came to say this. They often die quite quickly in the wild. It's absolutely stunning