What tree is the king of bonsai?
In the field of miniature garden art, tree stump bonsai is highly regarded for its unique charm that condenses nature. As a living sculpture art, the selection of precious tree species directly affects the value of the work. This article focuses on the thousand-year-old tree pair of white wax and its similar treasures, and analyzes the core characteristics and collection value of top bonsai materials. Living fossils explain the legendary life of a thousand-year-old tree. As a national second-class protected plant, its distribution is limited to a 30-kilometer radius of the residual vein of Dahong Mountain in Hubei Province. The annual ring growth rate of this Oleaceae Fraxinus is only 1/3 of that of ordinary trees. The average age of existing wild plants is more than 500 years old. The thousand-year-old pile found in Jingshan City can reach 2.3 meters in diameter. Its leaves are shaped like a sparrow tongue, and its skin presents a unique waxy luster, which produces a jade-like light transmission effect under light. The wood density of this tree species reaches 0.85g/cm³, which is 40% higher than that of ordinary white wax. The branches have excellent resilience and can withstand a 270-degree twist. Professional bonsai artists use their characteristics to create 18 standard shapes such as cliff style and literati style through aluminum wire coiling. At Sotheby's in recent years, a 380-year-old white wax bonsai with stone was sold for 2.17 million yuan, confirming its artistic value. Guide to Appreciation of Top Ten Treasures Tree Species Four Outstanding Traditional Famous Products 1. Quemei: Representative material of Lingnan School. The annual growth of new branches reaches 60cm. Chicken claw branches can be formed by cutting trunks and storing branches. Boxus chinensis: First choice in Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. The leathery layer of leaves is as thick as 0.2 mm and has strong shade resistance of 3. Golden Marbles: The core tree species of Sichuan School bonsai, with a fruiting period of 8 months. Black pine: Japanese potted prototype, modern rare variety with needle life of 3-5 years 5. Podocarpus: The leaf length of the sparrow tongue variety is only 1.5cm, suitable for palm bonsai 6. For white wax: The annual thickness increases by 0.3 cm, and the stem breaking technology needs to be used to promote the growth of fine branches. Ginkgo biloba: Grafting male branches on female plants can solve the problem of no fruit. 8. True cypress: The dense nature of scales and leaves creates the shape of cloud slices. From the perspective of artistic investment, the average annual value-added rate of rare bonsai materials reaches 15%-20%. Collectors are advised to focus on native piles and master asexual reproduction techniques such as high-pressure reproduction. With the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, legal acquisition and cultivation of rare tree species will become an important direction for the sustainable development of bonsai art.