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Hi from Beijing - New plant ID
Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 8:15 pm
by bghickman
I am new to the bonsai world and this forum. I bought this plant from the Flower Market yesterday and someone told me it was a bonsai. Can anyone identify it for me? Thanks for your help!
Becky in Beijing
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:37 am
by JTred
Looks like maybe a Jade? I'm not sure though. Are the leaves fleshy?
Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:02 am
by bghickman
Yes, the leaves are fleshy. They are 1/2 inch ovals. Very small deep pink flowers.
Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 8:49 am
by kdodds
Either Portulacaria afra, or possibly some type of sedum. IMO, it's far too bushy to be considered bonsai ATM. BUT, before you do anything to it, look at examples of jade bonsai, particularly semi-cascades. You need to clean up the lower branches, make the branching visible, and decide where to concentrate the folliage. Otherwise, it looks like a nce, full, and healthy tree.
Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:31 pm
by Gnome
bghickman,
Almost certainly a
Portulacaria afra, also called by several common names including baby jade, elephant food, or in Africa, Spekboom. I have a bunch of these but none of them has ever flowered.
someone told me it was a bonsai
Bonsai is not a type of plant, it is a series of techniques that are used to train numerous species to resemble full sized trees. This one could, with some judicious pruning, become a nice example of this species.
Norm