Amazing Bonsai at a temple in Thailand. Does anybody know the species?

[LuukMeijwaard]

Hi there!

Last year i came across some beautiful Bonsai at the Wat Arun temple in Bangkok. There were interesting trees strewn all over the temple grounds but i think these two were the nicest. I love the face that they put little figurines in them too.

Anybody know the species? I'd love to see if i could get my hands on some similar material and perhaps create something similar one day.

 

[RoadManDenDron]

Welcome to the forum! Here you will find access to everything you need to know to enable you to create such masterpieces, just add quality material (trees) and time (my guess is a fair few decades at least of actual bonsai training for the trees in your pics)

Unfortunately I can't make a guess as far as ID of either of these trees, hopefully someone will be along who can recognise something, I don't suppose you got any close up pics that show the leaves more clearly? That would help alot.

Edit: no guts no glory im gonna say some kind of elm but this is a wild stab in the dark I defer to anyone who says otherwise

 

[pandacular]

Yep, it's almost certainly an elm or zelkova, based on the shape and veins on the leaves. It's hard to tell more specifically than that, but you're in luck because elm is one of the most popular and most well suited species for bonsai.

If you like the look of figures, you should find a good place to read up on penjing, the Chinese movement of trees in pots. I'm not overly familiar with Thai bonsai, but I do know from an article I read recently in Bonsai Today (#58, maybe?) about a Thai master who considered penjing a larger influence than bonsai. Elm (specifically Ulmus pavifolia) is the most popular penjing species and is readily available as pre-bonsai material.

welcome! hope you stay a while, and if you do, you should update your location. Based on your name, I'm guessing you're in the Netherlands, which is represented by quite a few of the active users here.

 

[Tieball]

That tree is a powerful outstanding example of ancient bonsai. The right mud-figure can add a great deal to the composition…especially with this tree and mud-figure. Great find in Bangkok. Mighty fine!

Welcome here to the Bonsainut. I hope to read more from you and see more Thailand bonsai trees. I’m more familiar with the bonsai trees in Vietnam. I look forward to you taking us along on a bonsai tree adventure.

I believe that @pandacular identified correctly……Well done!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Great trees. They look almost certainly like Chinese Elm.

 

[rockm]

I wouldn't put money on these being Chinese elm. From this video, which may show either the same trees, or their neighbors, they look to be something else to me. In southeast Asia, many tropical species that have been adapted to "bonsai" culture, or similar cultivation techniques. Pics aren't really good enough to provide any detail to ID accurately.

 

[Mikecheck123]

The pics are inadequate, but it looks like a hornbeam to me. The bark doesn't look right for a Chinese elm.

 

[rockm]

The pics are inadequate, but it looks like a hornbeam to me. The bark doesn't look right for a Chinese elm.

Unlikely a hornbeam in Thailand. Premna, possibly, but there are many more tropical species these could be.

 

[Mikecheck123]

Unlikely a hornbeam in Thailand. Premna, possibly, but there are many more tropical species these could be.

I didn't say it was a hornbeam I said it looks like one.

 

[LuukMeijwaard]

Thanks for all the replies! Unfortunately i didn't take any more detailed pictures at the time. I did find this video of the temple, perhaps the one that @rockm is referring to, where you can get a better look at the leaves. Tree number 1 shows up at 2.56.

It also shows some other cool trees.

I'm having a look at the video myself and the leaves do look different from images of Chinese Elm leaves

 

[rockm]

Triangular serrated leaves, could be a premna, but is probably something else. Definitely not a Chinese Elm.

 

[Albas]

I think it's a Premna.

 

[LuukMeijwaard]

https://www.bonsaitree.co.za/blogs/tree-talk/remarkable-premna-mooiensis-part-i Looking at this i think you're right! One of the photographed leaves looks exactly like the leaves in the video.

 

[kauaibonsai]

wrightia religiosa?