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Krohn Conservatory Bonsai #2 - Taiwan Fig

Scientific Name:

  • Ficus retusa

Species

  • Taiwan Fig

Originally, this Taiwan Fig was root-over-rock style with three trees fused together.  It was donated by Bonsai Society member D. Brown in 2003. 

The pot is oval, brown in color, unglazed and 6 inches deep. 

This tree is a species of evergreen woody plant in the fig genus, native to the Malay Archipelago and Malesia floristic region. Ficus retusa is a rapidly growing, rounded, broad-headed, evergreen shrub or tree that can reach 33 feet in height with an equal spread. The smooth, light grey trunk is quite striking, can grow to around 3 feet in diameter, and it firmly supports the massively spreading canopy.

The tree has a gray to reddish bark dotted with small, horizontal flecks, called lenticels, that are used by woody plant species for supplementary gas exchange through the bark. The name is commonly used to refer to ornamental indoor plants widely cultivated in temperate regions.  Ficus retusa is commonly used as a beginner's bonsai.

Germination Year
1990 (Age: 34 years)
In Training Since
1999 (25 years)
Acquired in
2003
Insect Control

It can be susceptible to scale insects and thrips.  Treat with horticultural oil or malathion.