Pls. help identify my bonsai

[angelae]

Hi! Kindly help identify the bonsai below. This was just a gift and i want to know how to take care of it.

Thank you.

 

[thomas22]

Interesting tree. I have never seen anything braided quite like that one but I would guess Money Tree. You could search money tree care for help taking care of it.

 

[Tieball]

The leaves resemble a Money Tree but Might be to short for that I think. The stems or branches of a Money Tree should tend to look more like bamboo. But there are varieties of the Money Tree. So that might not be a rule...just my experience. Here’s a photo of the Money Tree stems next to me. You can see braiding started on this tree and can still see the bamboo-like structure of the stems.

The Money Tree survives with water. Just enough to keep the roots wet. To much water and the roots just grow higher up. No water = dead tree. The Money Tree survives in stones and water. No soil is needed. Water is required. Money Trees are grown in a container without drainage holes....draining would be deadly...roots have to stay wet.
My experience.

 

[sorce]

I'm going with ficus....

Looks like a fusion project.

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[bonsaichile]

I agree with @sorce, this is a ficus. Keep it near a bright window, away from cold drafts and water it about every other day or when the surface soil feels dry to the touch. I don't know where you are, but you can put it outside once temperatures are consistently (and constantly: day and night) above 45F.

Good luck!

 

[rockm]

I don't think that is a ficus. It is more likely, to me anyway, a "Brush Cherry" Eugenia Myrtifolia.
https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/brush-cherry

 

[sorce]

I still cant get over all them thin ass whips.

Some seem dead in there too...

Miss @angelae if you can trace down the dead ones, it is probly a good idea to trim them out to make room for the live ones.

The intention there is to get all the trunks to fuse together , creating one larger tree faster.

But it can get real patchy iffin they start dying.

Brush Cherry ? Ill take it...cuz it doesnt say ficus for sure.

Probly harder to fuse them.

Where did this come from?


Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

Foemina Covfefe.

 

[bonsaichile]

I don't think that is a ficus. It is more likely, to me anyway, a "Brush Cherry" Eugenia Myrtifolia.
https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/brush-cherry

Thank you, @rockm. I stand corrected. Lots of useful info in that link too for the OP

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Looks like a Mexican Heather.

 

[petegreg]

Looks like a Mexican Heather.

This is really closest...Cuphea hyssopifolia, just wait for flowers.

 

[johnpotts30]

mangrove tree maaaybe...

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

If it gets little purple flowers it is definitely Cuphea hyssopifolia

I have seen these braided stems of Cuphea before. Not common but it was done for a florist, you don't often see this done.

The trunks will fuse in time. Nice

Look up Cuphea.

 

[petegreg]

I'll only add that cuphea has cultivars with purple, pink or white little flowers.

 

[treebeard55]

Money tree it's not, I can tell you; its leaves are palmate compound, and naturally the size of a man's handspan.

Can you post a clearer picture? I'm afraid the one above doesn't show enough detail for anyone to be sure: Cuphea, Serissa, and some of the small-leaf Ficus are all possibilities until we can see more.

And - am I the only one to whom the "braiding" looks like it might be a wire frame? (In this picture, anyway.)