The Art of Bonsai

Tag: Ficus virens

  • Leaves vary a lot

    One interesting thing to know is that Ficus leaves can vary greatly. They can vary in size, shape, texture, color etc. They even can vary on the same plant or whether the plant is growing strongly or just slowly. Growing figs from seed reveals also that almost every seedling shows some subtle or not so…

  • Ficus with rounder leaves

    Ficus show lots of natural variations when grown from seed. Leaf shape, leaf size, bark color, vigor etc. can vary greatly from one seedling to the next. This can even occur with seed harvested from the same mother tree. Here is one of many Ficus virens that I have grown from seed. This individual has…

  • Genetics and figs

    These are two seed grown Ficus virens, Lipstick fig. Each plant shows some variation in its leaves, bark, growth pattern etc. These characteristics can be influenced by the growth environment. In the case of these two plants the newly emerged leaves are red in color. This color changes to a deep green after a week or…

  • Give it some time

    Bonsai creation is not an instant or immediate process. Sometimes it just takes some time to evolve a suitable design. In this case a seed grown Ficus virens was a very un-attractive youngster. With a bit of patience and the passage of 5 years the tree is beginning to be an enjoyable bonsai. Given another…

  • Fusing a fig tree

    Using fusion to improve a fig tree is a valuable technique. However, it is necessary to use genetically identical material or the fusion my show differences in bark, leaf, etc. that can detract from the uniformity and believability of the design. In this case seedlings of Ficus virens while very young were fused to create…

  • What I do when I am puzzled

    Very often I have some trees that just seem to be a puzzle. I can’t quite figure out what design might work for the tree. I usually put these on the bottom shelf and just let them grow and wait for a burst of inspiration. Perhaps the tree will speak to me and I can…

  • Aerial roots and growth

    Aerial roots are one of the most unique and wonderful features of figs. Aerial roots start out as small fine filaments from the trunk or branches and grow down to the soil. Once rooted into the soil they thicken and can become as thick or thicker than the trunk or branch from which they originated. Growth…

  • Ficus virens/infectoria

    Seed grown and kept close together these trees are now fused at the base. I think this might be called a clump style. Ficus virens is the species but in some areas it is called infectoria. Leaves removed to show the nice branch structure that is developing.

  • Ficus virens Lipstick Ficus, White Fig

    Ficus virens has many common names;  Lipstick Ficus in India and White Fig in Australia. Whatever it is called it is a huge tree growing in its native environment. It can stand alone as a single trunk tree or exist as a strangler fig with many aerials. The most famous trees of this species are…

  • Ficus infectoria or is it Ficus virens

    Ficus infectoria is an invalid name, according to the botanists, and should technically be called Ficus virens. This material shows a coarser grower than some of my other virens. It seems to be quite happy in container culture with no special needs. This bonsai is actually 3 or 4 root fused trees that were grown from seed.…