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Nov 10, 20227 min read

10 Facts About Bonsai Tree

Updated: May 18, 2023

You can see everywhere in Asia some kind of small trees but they are seemingly different. When you look closely they are almost identical to big trees but they are at their miniature form, even looking at the Bonsai tree is fascinating. It is like an art form and if you fell in love that sight at the first look this Bonsai facts that we gonna talk about in this write, must be for you.

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai are trees and plants grown in containers in such a way so that they look their most beautiful – even prettier than those growing in the wild. Cultivating bonsai, therefore, is a very artistic hobby as well as a traditional Japanese art.

History

The word "bonsai" was first used in a mid-14th century poem, but earlier bonsai culture can be seen in picture scrolls dating as far back as 1309. It became more widely enjoyed around three centuries later, during the Edo period (1603–1867).

In ancient times, bonsai were usually enjoyed by aristocrats, priests, and other high-ranking people, but commoners also began delighting in them from the Edo period (1603–1867) onward. Later on, during the Meiji period (1868–1912) bonsai came to be appreciated as objects of art, and people began growing bonsai not just as a hobby but also as an artistic pursuit. Large-scale bonsai exhibitions also began to be staged, and scholarly books on growing techniques were published.

Types of Bonsai

There is many type of seedling can be use as foundation when creating Bonsai tree.

Fukien Tea Tree

The Fukien Tea is a tropical evergreen shrub originating from southern China. This plant works particularly well as a mini bonsai, but is also a great houseplant because it appreciates warm temps in the winter months making it a perfect choice for anyone in the city or who does not have the benefits of a yard.

Boxwood

The evergreen long-lived plants have a long tradition as hedges and topiary. There are more than 70 boxwood species, but the European common boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) and the Chinese boxwood (Buxus harlandii) are the ones most often styled as bonsai.

Pine

For Bonsai, pines are especially popular and many people even regard them as the most typical Bonsai trees. Pine trees are evergreen, coniferous resinous trees with needles that appear in bundles of two to five.

Adenium Obesum

The Desert Rose, also called the Japanese frangipani and Adenium bonsai, is a small succulent tree native to Africa and Arabia which has fleshy leaves and develops a bulbous base. It produces large pink and white or red flowers when it gets enough sunlight.

Juniperus Procumbens

This shrub is native to the southern parts of Japan. Commonly known as the garden juniper, it is a fantastic species for bonsai. They are mostly used as trees for beginners. Most of the new talent comps around the country use these as stock trees to work on.

Crape Myrtle

The Crepe Myrtle Bonsai is a small tree, native to Asia and Australia, with deciduous leaves. The Crepe Myrtle has a lot to offer for any Bonsai collector. Not only for the crepe-like flowers that it’s named for, but for the varying colors of the bark as it sheds from season to season.

Japanese Black Pine

As one of the 110 species included in the Pinus genus, the Japanese Black Pine bonsai tree is known by the scientific name of Pinus thunbergii. This beautiful plant is characterized by delicate needle-like green leaves that always grow together in pairs.

During springtime, the Japanese Black Pine will produce small reddish flowers. Later, it will also grow small brown cones. This hardy species can tolerate very strong winds and ocean spray. In Japan, the Japanese Black Pine has been one of the most popular plants to use in architecture.

Nashia Inaguensis

Its full-grown form, the Bahama Berry tree is nondescript and unattractive. When kept as a bonsai tree, however, the slim, twisty nature of the trunk makes for a graceful and pleasant smelling bonsai tree. The Bahama Berry is also known as Nashia inaguensis, Moujean Tea, Pineapple Verbena, and “I Dry, I Die”. It is native to the Bahamas Island named Inagua, is a member of the Vervain family, and is a relative of the lantana. This bonsai can be high-maintenance when it comes to care but the pleasing appearance and aroma of the tree make up for the unstable nature of the plant.

Ilex Serrata

The Japanese Winterberry is a deciduous shrub or small tree with dark green serrated leaves and light pink flowers. The female trees bear beautiful red berries which can last until next spring.

Deodar Cedar

Cedars are tall coniferous trees which develop characteristic broad and elegant shapes with age. They are very suitable for bonsai purposes, but for unknown reasons cedar bonsai are quite rare.

Chinese Quince

The Chinese quince is the only species in the Pseudocydonia genus which belongs to the rosaceae family. It is a broadleaf deciduous tree native to East Asia, related to the European quince (Cydonia oblonga) and it looks quite similar.

Chinese Elm

The Chinese Elm is indigenous to China and south-east Asia. In its native environment it can be a mighty tree reaching heights of up to 80 feet (25 meter). It develops a fine branch ramification with small leaves, which makes it a very suitable Bonsai plant.

Juniper

The juniper genus is made up of about 50 to 70 different species within the cypress family. They are evergreen coniferous trees or shrubs, which are very popular for Bonsai. Junipers can have two types of foliage, needle-like, and scale-like foliage.

Ficus Retusa

The Ficus genus belongs to the family of mulberry plants or Moraceae, and it’s the most popular indoor tree species for Bonsai beginners. They can be found on every continent in the tropic regions and are very suitable for indoor Bonsai.

Gingko

The ginkgo is a deciduous tree with fan shaped leaves and a columnar silhouette in younger years, getting broader with age. The tree is indigenous to China and is considered a living fossil, dating back 270 million years.

Snowrose

The serissa is also called snowrose, tree of thousand stars or Japanese boxthorn. It is a subtropical small shrub with tiny white flowers that appear from spring through summer.

Pomegranate

The pomegranate is a small deciduous tree or shrub with narrow oblong leaves, trumpet-shaped red flowers and large round red fruit. Those are covered by a hard pericarp and contain a great number of seeds, each covered by a tasty red aril.

Royal Poinciana

The royal poinciana, or Delonix regia, comes with many names. Known as the flame tree, fire tree, and flamboyant tree, the royal poinciana produces large, fiery red or golden blooms that blossom from spring through summer in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 12. This fast-growing, deciduous to evergreen tree, depending on the climate, develops fernlike foliage and takes on a natural umbrella shape. Its tolerance to poor soils and hard pruning makes it easy to use a royal poinciana for a bonsai tree.

Needle Juniper

The Needle Juniper Bonsai tree is a beautiful and rewarding bonsai for both beginner bonsai growers and long-standing enthusiasts. Because it is so easy to shape and care for, Juniperus is one of the most popular types of bonsai to grow.

Guiana Chestnut

The money tree is a popular indoor plant which is often seen with a braided trunk. It is a tropical member of the Malvaceae family and native to Central America. This species is an old token of good luck and fortune, related to the concept of Feng Shui.

Juniperus Chinensis

Juniperus Squamata

Bougainvillea

The Bougainvillea is an evergreen shrub, little tree or thorny vine with little trumpet-shaped flowers which grow in clusters of three and come with three pretty bright papery bracts, most often magenta or purple colored.

Japanese Maple

The Japanese Maple, otherwise known as Acer palmatum, is originally from Japan, China, and Korea. It owes its botanical name to the hand-shaped leaves with five pointed lobes. Palma is Latin for palm, as in the palm of your hand.

Bald Cypress

The Bald Cypress is a tall tree with reddish brown bark and soft, needle-shaped leaves which develop a nice auburn colour in autumn before they fall off along with some of the smaller twigs.

Ligustrum Privet

The Ligustrum genus belongs to the olive family and consists of more than 50 evergreen and deciduous subspecies and cultivars with a diversity of leaf colours and forms.

Wisteria

The Wisteria is a strong, fast growing deciduous vine with alternating compound leaves. In spring it produces long drooping clusters of bluish-purple fragrant flowers. The genus wisteria comprises less than 10 species, most of them native to China and Japan and two native to North America.

Star Magnolia

Magnolia is a genus of deciduous and some evergreen trees and shrubs with more than 200 species, most of which are native to East-Asia or America. The majority of these species grow strongly with coarse twigs, large leaves and huge flowers and are therefore hardly used for bonsai.

Acer Buergerianum

The trident maple, which is native to China and Japan, is one of the most popular deciduous tree species for bonsai, beside the palmate maple (Acer palmatum). In nature the trident maple can grow up to 65′ (20m) tall and its characteristic leaf shape with three pointed lobes explains its popular name.

Common Juniper

Tecoma Capensis

If you love bonsais and want to find a more interesting species to take on, you will love the Cape Honeysuckle Bonsai. Truly a unique specimen, this shrub lives to soak in the sun and spread like wildfire. Recognized by its stunning, vibrantly-hued blossoms and foliage, the Cape Honeysuckle bonsai has been known to mesmerize all walks of life with its rare beauty.

Salix Repens

One of the most popular bonsai trees is the Weeping Willow. This tree is well-known for its drooping branches, leaves, and flowers. It is the favorite of most bonsai growers because aside from its lovely appearance, it looks dramatic in any kind of bonsai style.