Flat top trees

[crab apple]

I have always admired a flat top Bald cypress even before I got into bonsai and even really knew what one was. Recently I noticed a few other Flat top style trees. One was a live oak that was likely manipulated by humans even though there's nothing above it to necessitate that. The other is a long leaf pine that is out in the woods, only manipulated my nature. In the pics the pine kinda blends oin with another pine so it doesn't display well, but in the flat top area there is more ramification than in the tops of other pine trees.

 

[Shibui]

South Africa has some iconic species that grow as flat top trees. I saw that some of the South African bonsai growers were trying to replicate that style with some bonsai.
Well worth trying as a style for some species.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

The flat crowned style is pretty rare. Pieter Loubser describes it in his excellent book Understanding Bonsai, mimicking Acacia sieberana (paperbark) and Albizia adiabthifolia (flat crowned false thorn) which have flat crowns as @Shibui mentioned. It’s shown below in his book Fig 212.



Perhaps more widespread is the Pierneer style, made popular by South African ar tist J. H. Pierneer. Again as shown in is his book.


It’s perhaps the best and most comprehensive technique and styling bonsai I’ve read.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Cajunrider]

I have always admired a flat top Bald cypress even before I got into bonsai and even really knew what one was. Recently I noticed a few other Flat top style trees. One was a live oak that was likely manipulated by humans even though there's nothing above it to necessitate that. The other is a long leaf pine that is out in the woods, only manipulated my nature. In the pics the pine kinda blends oin with another pine so it doesn't display well, but in the flat top area there is more ramification than in the tops of other pine trees.View attachment 463346View attachment 463347View attachment 463349

That flat top pine is like every other pine tree in my area - chopped by hurricanes.

 

[rockm]

Famous South African False Olive flat top. Interesting that South African flat tops are influenced by heavy grazing of large herbivores-giraffes, elephants.

http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/2015-73-2-the-bonsai-collection-of-stellenbosch-university-botanical-garden.pdf

 

[Maiden69]

That pine look similar to the Italian pines we have here in Texas... which naturally forms a flat top shape.

Texas A&M Forest Service - Trees of Texas - List of Trees

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Notice that many trees described as "flat tops" are really low domes, a slight curve to the top, not perfectly flat. The low dome looks quite natural. A perfectly linear flat top tends to look artificial.