BONSAI IN SOUTH AFRICA: THE CLASSICSIn this article, the second in the series on bonsai in South Africa, I look at some of the southernAfrican trees that have proven to be excellent bonsai subjects, most of which should be readily

available. In an article such as this, one tries to be objective but unfortunately some subjectivity isbound to creep into one's opinions. It is important to stress that bonsai is art and so it is critical to use

material that allows one to achieve one's artistic aims. It would be useless to try to paint a delicatewater-colour landscape on kitchen waxed paper because the paint would just bead on the surface and

it would be impossible to achieve any success. The same goes with one's choice of bonsai stock;one will achieve much greater success if the correct species is chosen.

by Curl Morrow, University of Cape Town

The wild olive, Oleu europueu subsp. ufricunuThis is an excellent species that can hold its ownamongst the best in the world. It is a little slow todevelop but the quality of the material available andthe design and refinement potential of this tree makesit worth the effort. Its powers of recovery aftercollection are wonderful and it vigorously shoots backon bare trunks. The leaves reduce dramatically and thetree develops beautiful, dense, evergreen foliagecanopies. Larger trunked trees often feature spectacularareas of natural and created deadwood that signifi­cantly enhance the apparent age of the trees. Theexposed wood is very durable and with a minimum ofeffort, the character of the tree can be maintained formany years. It is best to keep these trees outdoors in asunny and warm position. They strike from cuttingsand are quite easy to grow.

Two other species of olive can be used - the coastolive, O. exasperata, and ironwood, 0. capensis. Thesetrees do not respond as well as the wild olive but canstill be developed into attractive bonsai.

The wild figsThere are many indigenous fig trees that are used inbonsai. These include the veld fig, Ficus burtt-davyi,the common wild fig, F natalensis, rare forest fig,F craterostoma, red-leaved rock fig, F ingens andsycamore fig, F sycomorus. The trees develop strongtrunks and powerful roots that can be trained overrocks to achieve the effect of a natural tree scramblingacross a landscape. They are either evergreen or semi­deciduous and the leaves reduce well and form goodcanopies. Figs are generally tropical in nature and sothey enjoy humid, warm conditions. They can grow insun or semi-shade and are also hardy enough to begrown indoors near a bright window. They can tolerateheavy pruning and respond well to an annual winterrefinement trimming that encourages budding onnaked areas of the branches.

Be careful not to treat figs with a systemic insec­ticide because this causes them to defoliate which isusually not fatal but does set the tree back consid­erably.

AcaciasAcacias are a symbol of Africa and thus have beenused as bonsai for many years. Species that are usedinclude the sweet thorn, Acacia karroo, splendidacacia, A. robusta, monkey thorn, A. galpinii, camelthorn, A. erioloba, knob-thorn, A. nigrescens, blackmonkey-thorn, A. burkei and black thorn, A. mellifera.These trees tend to have a sparse branching pattern.

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Above. Wild olive, Olea europaea subsp. africana, shaped by theauthor.Below. A splendid acacia, Acacia robusta, shaped by BernardCoetzee. This is one of the five acacias that were grown from seedin 1928. The trees grew in nursery cans for forty-one years when abonsai artist discovered them and started training them as bonsaiin 1969.

Good branching angles, and thus development isachieved if the new shoots are allowed to grow for awhile before they are trimmed back. The compoundleaves give the effect of fine ramification and minuteleaves. Contrary to expectation these are thirsty treesthat like a lot of water but are sensitive to waterloggedsoil and so they need to be planted in freely drainedpotting medium.

Australian bonsai growers that I have spoken towere surprised to hear that South Africans use thesetrees for bonsai as their acacias are not very long lived.There are five Acacia bonsai in Cape Town that weregrown from seed in 19Z8 and they are still strong andvigorous seventy-two years later! Wild and nurserygrown acacias develop strong taproots that need to bereduced over time. Certain species such as A. galpiniihave a tendency to shed branches which can be veryfrustrating when one has spent years nurturing abranch only to have it die as part of the tree's selfthinning process.

Species such as A. galpinii can be grown indoorsnear a bright window but away from direct sunthrough the glass. Trees that are grown indoors will notgrow as fast as their outdoor counterparts but theyshould survive and grow with proper care. One doesneed to be careful not to over-water indoor trees.

Witolienhout, Buddleja salignaThis tree is a fairly recent addition to the SouthAfrican classic species chart. It is a Widespread treethat develops spectacular, ridged trunks that impart afeeling of maturity and great age. The leaves are greygreen and reduce tremendously. Very dense, finelydivided foliage pads can be rapidly developed. Thetree needs to be grown in sunny conditions andregularly fertilized. The bark and cambium are verythin and easily damaged while the twigs and roots canbe very brittle so be careful when wiring and pruning.Cuttings strike easily but Buddleja is a bit tempera­mental and does not like too much root pruning once itis planted in a bonsai pot. One needs to remove all thethick roots on the tree when it is first planted into acontainer. Recent indications are that the wood of thetree is not as durable as originally thought arid soparticular care needs to be taken of exposed deadwoodfeatures. Because this tree is reasonably new to bonsaicultivation, about fifteen years or so, it is notsurprising that we are still learning about its horticul­tural requirements.

White stinkwood, Celtis africanaThe beauty of this tree lies in the very fine, twiggybranch ramification, which results in a superlativewinter silhouette. It is a fast growing tree that is bothdrought and frost tolerant. (A recent issue of SouthAfrican Gardening, page Z3, August ZOOO, highlightedthe problem of the foreign Celtis sinensis and itsalleged threat to the indigenous species fromhybridization.) In my experience, C. africana oftengrows in a strange, twisted and sparse way that can bevery frustrating to develop as a bonsai. This may be asa result of the dry, coastal conditions experienced inCape Town as they are reported to be wind sensitive.Bonsai artists from other areas claim that C. africana isa wonderful tree to use. Many nurseries mistakenlylabel C. sinensis as C. africana and this could be wherea lot of the confusion is coming from as C. sinensis isbetter suited to a coastal climate.

Veld & Flora March ZOOl

Witolienhout, BuddJeja saJigna, shaped by Sally Visagie.

Dwarf hibiscus, Anisodontea scabrosaThis, and the following two trees, are new introduc­tions to bonsai cultivation. There are indications thatthey have the potential to be developed into goodbonsai, but only time will tell. Anisodontea scabrosa isa very pretty, Widespread shrub in the hibiscus familythat grows rapidly, develops the appearance of agequickly, has small leaves and has the added appeal ofproducing small pink flowers. It is readily propagatedfrom cuttings. Be careful with bending the branches asthey are brittle. This species is really a herbaceousshrub and so its longevity as a bonsai is still to bedemonstrated but it is a good tree on which to learnbonsai techniques.

Commiphora harveyiThe bronze paper commiphora or rooistamkanniedoodis a large, juicy trunked tree that strikes well fromcuttings and, because of its semi-succulent nature, ithas the ability to 'heal over' very large cuts. The leafand foliage development is good. They grow in full sunand do not like to be watered too much. They prefer avery rich, but free draining growing medium. As far asI know this tree is not in very widespread cultivationas a bonsai yet.

Ouhout, Leucosidea sericeaThis tree grows at higher altitudes, particularly in thefoothills of the Drakensberg. It is characterized bygnarled trunks that develop striking white deadwoodareas that are surrounded by dramatic smooth, red barkgiving an effect reminiscent of the classic Chinesejuniper bonsai Uuniperus chinensis) seen in China,Japan Korea and Taiwan. The soft, feathery, grey greenfoliage, however, is very different to that of thejunipers. Again this tree is a new introduction tobonsai and so aspects, such as the durability of thedead wood, are still to be proven.

This is a start on what to look for when setting out in thismarvellous art. These articles do not dwell on the aesthetic theorybehind bonsai design and what makes a tree a good bonsai as thesedetails can be found in most bonsai books. My next article willdiscuss trees that are regionally available and some that haveshown themselves not to work as bonsai. ®

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