Bonsai Encyclopedia

Deciduous bonsai bearing small fruits in autumn. Smooth gray bark and natural form are appealing. Birds visiting for fruits add charm. Good root spread.

A deciduous rose-family tree from China whose bark flakes into a mottled greenish-brown pattern. Pale pink flowers in spring are followed by large yellow fruits 10–15 cm long; it has been called the king of fruiting bonsai.

A deciduous climber with palmate leaves of five leaflets, pale purple flowers in spring and purple fruits 7–10 cm long in autumn that split lengthwise when ripe. It is self-incompatible, so fruit needs pollen from another plant.

Fruiting bonsai bearing masses of small red berries. Tiny leaves and fine branching create natural bonsai form. Beautiful contrast of autumn leaves and red berries.

A dwarf pomegranate, shorter than the species with smaller flowers and fruit. In early summer it bears crinkled scarlet flowers, and in pots or mini bonsai offers both blooms and fruit. Also sold as 'issai-zakuro'.

Fruiting bonsai laden with vivid orange-red berries in autumn. Evergreen for year-round interest. Thorny but berry display is among the best of fruiting bonsai.

A tiny kumquat from southern China including Hong Kong, bearing orange fruits about 1 cm across along its branches. The fruit has almost no flesh and is not for eating, but through winter the plant looks like a miniature orange tree.

A deciduous shrub native across Japan bearing purple berries about 3 mm across in autumn, often persisting after leaf fall. Many plants sold as murasaki-shikibu are actually the closely related, denser-fruiting Callicarpa dichotoma.

Representative fruiting bonsai with beautiful autumn-colored fruits. Aged trees develop characterful cracked bark. Dwarf persimmon (Rouya-gaki) is especially popular.

A deciduous rose-family tree whose pinnate leaves turn scarlet in autumn, with clusters of red berries that stay on after leaf fall. Flat heads of small white flowers appear in early summer. It prefers cool climates and is hard to keep long in warm lowlands.

An evergreen relative of akebi, also called tokiwa-akebi ('evergreen akebi'). In spring it bears flowers with white sepals marked red-purple inside, and in autumn purple fruits 5–8 cm long that, unlike akebi, rarely split open.

Charming citrus bonsai with clusters of small orange fruits. Fruits are edible whole. Relatively cold-hardy and easy to grow among citrus varieties.

A deciduous shrub typical of Japanese coppice woods, bearing flat clusters of small white flowers in early summer and bunches of red berries about 6 mm across in autumn. In bonsai, small-leaved forms such as 'Kinkazan' are favoured.

Japan's typical wild rose, bearing sprays of small, strongly scented white flowers in early summer and red hips in autumn. One of the key species behind the world's garden roses, it is grown as bonsai for both flowers and hips.

A deciduous climber of the spindle family whose yellow autumn fruits split in three to reveal orange-coated seeds, lasting from autumn into winter. Male and female plants are separate, so fruit needs a female plus a male pollinator.

Japan's wild native citrus, an evergreen bearing fragrant white flowers in early summer and flattened yellow fruits 2.5–3 cm across in winter. Famous as the 'Ukon no tachibana' at the Kyoto Imperial Palace; wild plants are nationally Near Threatened.

A deciduous shrub counted among the world's three great autumn-colour trees, turning brilliant red. Corky wings along the stems are distinctive, and red-coated seeds appear in autumn. A single plant sets fruit.

Indispensable citrus in Japanese cuisine. Takes long from seed but grafted stock fruits in a few years. Fragrant flowers and yellow fruits are enjoyable.