Krohn Conservatory Bonsai #2 - Taiwan Fig
Scientific Name:
- Ficus retusa
Species
- Taiwan Fig
Type of Tree
Bonsai Style:
Bonsai Tree Size:
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.
Q. What do “circa” and “in training” mean?
A. The circa date is roughly the year when the tree sprouted from its seed. The in training date is the year that it started being “trained” as a bonsai, which is to direct the growth of the tree usually by bending, pruning, and wiring its branches into a desired direction or shape.
It can be susceptible to scale insects and thrips. Treat with horticultural oil or malathion.