Tree Identity Please
- Thread starter AZbonsai
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cbroad
Omono
Was thinking abelia, but they have opposite leaf arrangement... I had a few other ideas but ruled them out. It could be something I'm not familiar with that grows out west though, but I'm trying really hard. This is going to bug me 
cbroad
Omono
What about a sasanqua camellia? Everything but the last picture reminds me of it. The waxy leaves, the stems, the whip like branches, even the different colored new growth.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
Waxy foemina.
I do not recall it ever having large blooms like the ones I see on camellias.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Might help if we knew where these came from, like a landscape nursery, online, etc. If they're from a local Arizona nursery, that rules out a lot of stuff.
The school is over 25 years old and these plants have been there for the past 12 years I have been teaching there. I am assuming they were planted with the original landscape so I have no idea where they come from nursery wise. They are on a south facing wall that gets the FULL Arizona summer sun.
just.wing.it
Deadwood Head
Abelia was my first thought....
Color and shininess looks off though.
Color and shininess looks off though.
cbroad
Omono
Sasanqua's would bloom in the fall, and I'd doubt they would take your full sun there...
cbroad
Omono
My other thoughts were leucothoe, forsythia, euonymus (Google says there are alternate leafed types), I even thought a type of osmanthus... I'm at a loss
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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Take a branch with a few leaves on it to a local nursery, garden center or local botanic garden if you are lucky enough to have one, or county extension office. Only people familiar with So Cal, NM, or AZ landscape business would be able to guess. As a silly northerner, any guess I made would be way off, and I'm a better than average guesser in the what's my plant game. Nothing I can think of would survive full south sun exposure in AZ, hell I wouldn't survive it either. I only visit AZ in middle of winter, and I still feel like it's hotter than my summer.
Mystery solved? Took Leo's advice and trotted a sample down to the local nursery. And this is what we came up with:
Massive trunk due to age on the ones I am collecting 25+ years. Not sure if they are bonsai material but I could use the collecting practice anyway! THANKS A BUNCH for all your research efforts and suggestions I appreciate it!
Leo in N E Illinois
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That name sent me to Wikipedia, they are called brush hollies, Xylosma congestum most commonly used as a landscape shrub in hot arid climates, often called shiny brushholly, or shiny logwood, it is related somewhat to willows, not the other Caribbean species called logwood, except one Xylosma from Hawaii, which Hawaiians call logwood.
Has alternating leaves, small, fragrant yellow flowers, it should work for Bonsai, and survive your brutal climate. Go for it.
Has alternating leaves, small, fragrant yellow flowers, it should work for Bonsai, and survive your brutal climate. Go for it.
Lazylightningny
Masterpiece
Does it ever flower? If so, what do they look like?
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
I was so close that time.
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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See my post above, - small, yellow, fragrant.
Having never grown one myself, and only visiting NM & AZ in winter, I have never seen one flower, nor do I know what it takes to get flowers, but yes, they do flower.
