What Are the Rarest Bonsai Tree Species?

[Anthony_Jamez12]

Just curious, what are the holy grails of tree species for Bonsai? Something hard to get your hands on. Tricky to cultivate, or maybe something that was once close to extension? (If any of this is even a thing)

 

[caffeinated]

Those in the US that love Japanese maples are hard pressed to find Beni Chidori, or Seigen or a few others, which are gorgeous.They're around, but nowhere near readily available. Although there probably aren't holy grails, just some that take more time to find... And then you get them and realize, they're cool, but not that much cooler than some of what you already had, just more hyped up.

 

[RoadManDenDron]

There is definitely seigen and benichidori hype in Europe and the UK too

 

[Canada Bonsai]

Something hard to get your hands on. Tricky to cultivate,

Celastrus (Tsuru ume modoki) - there have been a few in Kokufu, but i was told that most of them are not around anymore. Attached image from kokufu album

Chimonanthus praecox (Roubai)- there are a handful of known stunners in Japan, but they are difficult to cultivate, especially as they age. The attached picture was taken at Nobuyuki Yanai-san's restaurant

Daphne Genkwa (I have seen it go by a few names, most lately Fujimodoki) - it does not grow in a way that is appropriate for bonsai as we ordinarily think of it, but I have seen 3 on display and they can be incredible. I forgot where this picture came from

Itea (Kobanozuina) - Very unlikely to come across one in Japan. Attached is mine, which originally came from Fuyo-en. (picture my own)

Stachyrus praecox (Kibushi) - easy to find, very difficult to find in a nice shape! (picture from internet see attached)

 

[rockm]

There is no answer to this since all woody stemmed trees and shrubs can technically be grown using bonsai cultivation. "Rare" depends on where you are. Some people like Asian species that are kind of common in Japan bonsai but not used in North America. Bald Cypress, live oak and white cedar are rare in Japan...

 

[Canada Bonsai]

There is no answer to this since all woody stemmed trees and shrubs can technically be grown using bonsai cultivation. "Rare" depends on where you are. Some people like Asian species that are kind of common in Japan bonsai but not used in North America. Bald Cypress, live oak and white cedar are rare in Japan...

That's a good answer to the 'holy grail' part of the question. But there is also this part of the question, which most people I meet do have a fair answer to:

Something hard to get your hands on. Tricky to cultivate [emphasis added]

Curious what yours are I named 5 above from Japan, but I can say there are North American species that grow 50' from my house that I would put in this category too, like White Birch, not because it's difficult to find but because it's difficult to find a nice one and can be tricky to cultivate -- you could say it is a 'holy grail' to me, in the sense that it is elusive and sought-after

 

[rockm]

That's a good answer to the 'holy grail' part of the question. But there is also this part of the question, which most people I meet do have a fair answer to:



Curious what yours are I named 5 above from Japan, but I can say there are North American species that grow 50' from my house that I would put in this category too, like White Birch, not because it's difficult to find but because it's difficult to find a nice one and can be tricky to cultivate -- you could say it is a 'holy grail' to me, in the sense that it is elusive and sought-after

Fair enough, but when it comes to the West, we have so many species that haven't been tried, it's a Turkey shoot as to what the "Holy Grail" would be. Swamp tupelo, American Snowbell, white oak, black haw are a few that come to mind for me. All those species live around me. All are "rare" in bonsai because not many people dig them up and try to make them bonsai. All can make decent bonsai. Some are rare in the woods, others common. The common ones can be unremarkable and not worth collecting. A middling trunk on a rare species makes it worth the trouble.

 

[Michael P]

The rarest bonsai is one that nobody can criticize.

 

[Ohmy222]

if you stick to the traditional bonsai species from Japan then i would say a Japanese Beech is very rare in the US and tricky to develop. They aren't easy to propagate as cuttings strike at low percentages and seeds are only viable every few years. A large, non-grafted japanese white pine would be my holy grail. I like white pines but can't stand the graft union on most.

 

[Robert J. Baran]

I'm not sure which of the over 1800 species of plants would be the rarest/most difficult to satisfactorily grow/design in a container. https://www.magiminiland.org/BigPicture/BPAIndex.html.

 

[nuttiest]

Some of the easiest trees to find or grow will not either grow or flower in a bonsai pot. The ones that do are rare.

 

[Smoke]

This is Oshio Beni maple. Very large bonsai about three feet tall. Bright scarlet red leaves last until about end of July and then get a purpleish green color. Fall gives good display but mine always seems to drop its leaves while they are still purple. And then at the last minute I get Fall color and the next day all the leaves are gone and my camera battery is still on the charger. I will get it this year! It takes about five hours to prune the branch tips to a wye, otherwise this is a very course tree and internodes can be four or five inches if you don't stay on it in the Fall after leaf drop.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Manzanita

 

[just.wing.it]

American Sycamore.
Platanus occidentalis.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I can say there are North American species that grow 50' from my house that I would put in this category too, like White Birch, not because it's difficult to find but because it's difficult to find a nice one and can be tricky to cultivate -- you could say it is a 'holy grail' to me, in the sense that it is elusive and sought-after

I agree. Another "elusive" American species is the female (fruit-bearing) American holly. Elusive for two reasons - first, because in the wild you will only find 1 female for about every 20 males. Second, because nurseries don't like stocking native (natural) species because they don't sell. People typically only want "special" cultivars, or distinctive plants. I have yet to see a single American holly for sale in any nursery... however I have seen numerous Chinese and Japanese hollies - of multiple cultivars.

 

[CapeCodBonsai]

The most difficult trees for me to get my hands on in my area of the U.S. were . . .

• Picea koyamae Koyama's Spruce
• Crataegus saligna Willow hawthorn
• Juniperus rigida Temple Juniper
• Euscaphis japonica Korean Sweetheart Tree
• Prunus spinosa Blackthorn/Sloe

As previously indicated, these trees aren’t necessarily rare but, I couldn’t simply run down to my local big box store and pick them up.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Juniperus rigida Temple Juniper

There is some dispute about whether conferta is a variety of rigida or its own species.
But since nobody truly knows and they look very much the same, I'd suggest looking for some conferta. They're common stock in some nurseries.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

There is some dispute about whether conferta is a variety of rigida or its own species.
But since nobody truly knows and they look very much the same, I'd suggest looking for some conferta. They're common stock in some nurseries.

I agree. However in my limited experience I have only seen conferta as low-growing shrubs, while rigida can be a moderately large tree. (J. rigida pictured)

 

[Woocash]

English/European oak. I've seen plenty, but never one that gets close to the magisterial beauty of a mature wild one. (Really hoping someone can prove me wrong).

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I agree. However in my limited experience I have only seen conferta as low-growing shrubs, while rigida can be a moderately large tree. (J. rigida pictured)

I'm fairly sure that the conferta is the variety of rigida that doesn't grow columnar/prostate, but the foliage still droops in the both of them in elongating growth. Conferta wired upright is indistinguishable from rigida; same bark, same needle pattern, same cone color and size. Even the snappyness of the wood is similar.
There's a chance though, that corferta behaves much like other creeping junipers and has a maximum trunk height due to gravity fighting against the turgor pressure. Grafting it onto different rootstock or a different trunk would overcome that problem.

English/European oak. I've seen plenty, but never one that gets close to the magisterial beauty of a mature wild one. (Really hoping someone can prove me wrong).

Give me 10 years my friend! Maybe 5! I'm building one. But it has to sit in water for it to not die back on me for some reason. I think I've nailed the care down, but I want to build it scarless so it's just a flush and a half per year with very little elongating growth.