And Yet Another No Name Tree ...

[grouper52]

My last no-name tropical - for the time being at least.

Got this one from the same guy, a recently collected item sitting bare-rooted on the dirt outside his hut. Again, very cheap, and again, no name that we recall, but he said it should burst out with new growth in 2-3 weeks (that was a week ago), and there was one small leaf on it somewhere, and two bare sprigs with promising green bark elsewhere as well. That - and the promise of lovely white flowers as it's hallmark, and what is to me a structurally pleasing growth habit that's masculine enough to offset, and compliment, mere pretty flowers - that sold me on it despite not knowing its name. My file name for it is, "White Flower Tree".


Enjoy.

 

[quietobserver]

Nice find. Lots of potential there, obviously. I really like the lower 1/3 or 1/2 of it. Also a flower fanatic, so I’m sold at “white flower”..

 

[Cadillactaste]

You found a good source! So excited to see you found some of your joy rebounding in fantastic materials!

 

[grouper52]

Nice find. Lots of potential there, obviously. I really like the lower 1/3 or 1/2 of it. Also a flower fanatic, so I’m sold at “white flower”..

Thanks for your encouragement. Yes, the top is entirely superfluous/boring, but the base and lower trunk branching make a promising tree if it will grow robustly up here. If it is a lowland tree, as I suspect from seeing what looked like similar trees on the drive here through the Central plains, it may not grow at a brisk rate up here in Baguio at one mile elevation and about 30 degrees cooler. If it doesn't, I'll give it to my wife's sister in Manila. I'll post more as it develops, if it does.

 

[grouper52]

R.I.P. ... Oh well.

 

[milehigh_7]

R.I.P. ... Oh well.

Easy come, easy go my friend. Let's pour one out for White Flower Tree...

 

[Cadillactaste]

Think it sat bareroot for to long?

 

[JudyB]

That was quick.

 

[grouper52]

Think it sat bareroot for to long?

It's possible, though there were signs of life when we got it. It might also be that this climate up here in the mountains doesn't suit it well.

I scraped a bit of bark down low about ten days ago when those signs of life withered, and I didn't clearly see any live-looking tissues at all there, so I gave it more time, but still no results. It could still be that some miracle will occur, and since I'm using its pot to stick some cuttings from the pemphis in, hoping to have them take, it may yet surprise me at some point ... but I just don't think so: sort of like the Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch, "It's merely pining for the fjords!"

 

[grouper52]

That was quick.

Indeed, Judy - Since we all kill a lot of trees in this hobby anyway, I don't see any downside to just getting it out of the way quickly . . . .

 

[ERIKA]

Thanks for your encouragement. Yes, the top is entirely superfluous/boring, but the base and lower trunk branching make a promising tree if it will grow robustly up here. If it is a lowland tree, as I suspect from seeing what looked like similar trees on the drive here through the Central plains, it may not grow at a brisk rate up here in Baguio at one mile elevation and about 30 degrees cooler. If it doesn't, I'll give it to my wife's sister in Manila. I'll post more as it develops, if it does.

You are right about a lowland plant being slow in growth here in Baguio if you are lucky that it survives... The highlands (Baguio specially) offer very few good Bonsai-material species... That's one of the reasons why the lowlanders have more robust Bonsai. Here are the common species that Baguio hobbyists usually work with: Juniper, Boxwood, Azalea, Serissa, Bougainvillea, Ficus varieties, Pines varieties...

 

[grouper52]

You are right about a lowland plant being slow in growth here in Baguio if you are lucky that it survives... The highlands (Baguio specially) offer very few good Bonsai-material species... That's one of the reasons why the lowlanders have more robust Bonsai. Here are the common species that Baguio hobbyists usually work with: Juniper, Boxwood, Azalea, Serissa, Bougainvillea, Ficus varieties, Pines varieties...

Yes, I've seen most of those tree varieties available at the little shops in the Orchidarium across the street here ... but I'm kind of picky. Most of the specimens there are very small, and have not been grown skillfully enough or long enough to interest me as starter material. I'm not usually into flowering or fruiting trees either, nor trees with large leaves ... and I prefer to have something that can develop prominent deadwood features ... and my styling approach is much more naturalistic than stylized ... I've met a few guys so far - just down where the mountains meet the plains - that collect from the wild up in the mountains, and I will likely build my collection from those guys if none of the lowland trees will thrive up here. But I'm doing OK so far with a few lowland trees - at least I think I am.

You mention pines being used as bonsai here in Baguio, but I have not seen any of the pines you mention: it seems to me that Japanese Black Pines, of which I am very fond if they present skillfully started material, would do very well here, or perhaps J. Red Pines as well. Many, though not all, U.S. pines might also do well here, but I've not seem any. I have heard that the local Baguio Pines, as gorgeous as they are in nature, are completely resistant to attempts to make them into bonsai, sadly.

Anyway, some other recent posts here feature lowland trees that do - at present, anyway - seem to be doing well so far after a short period potted up here on my lanai. I'm hoping they'll continue to do so, but time will tell.

Thanks for the post.

 

[grouper52]

Not sure whether to revive this thread, or start a new one ...

The tree/stump that started the thread remained dead when I last saw it during trash pick-up .... BUT, I found this even more attractive, and obviously living - which turns out to be something I'm sort of picky about for some reason - tree of the same varirety. The guy told me the name, but I didn't write it down the nebari are particularly attractive, as is the fluting on the lower trunk. This will probably be a 5-10 year project at least, and I may not be there when it's finished/showablke, but I'll post updates if I do anything other than let it grow. 2' tall to highest foliage Enjoy!

 

[Lazorik]

Looks like jasmine to me.

 

[grouper52]

I think you're right - neither one I got came with any mention of "jasmin," but with this second one, "Murayana paniculata" may be what the guy said, if I remember correctly. Thank you very much!