Acacia burkei, Pierneef Style

This is one of my young Black Monkey Thorn trees. Still in training, to resemble the Flatcrown Savanna trees of Africa and the Way Pierneef painted this trees.

The tree stands 33cm tall, since 2003.

Recently a new branch emerged right in the centre of the tree, I though it would fill in the tree, but now I'm not to sure anymore. What do you guys and garls think, shall I remove or keep it. You can see it right in the centre of the tree, a creamy yellow colour.







...and No, I havnt removed any of its thorns. I'm a purist.
........Bleeding.....but still a purist.

Love and light
Andre

Andre,
It looks great. I would keep the new branch too.
Jerry

I agree...
If one actually looks at the Acacia trees in Africa,
they usually have quite a few smaller trunks growing
right along with a main trunk. I would keep it as well.

Thanks Jerry and Stacy, I'm very happy that you like my tree.

I can't give you advice because I'm new in the world of bonsai and I don't speak English very well....
I can only tell you that your bonsai is really nice and it looks like a real acacia in Africa in fact, when I opened your post I thought to see a picture of a tree in africa ... then I realized .... but the credit is mainly due to the blue cloth behind the plant.
Very nice

Nice tree boet. I'd keep it, let it thicken and then cut back hard to a low bud to make sure that you end up with a branch that is not too straight. If you keep it straight I think it will look out of place.

Why the sand mate?

Cheers,

Andrew

andrew,
I like your idea but do you think that if you cut it back it would end up getting shaded out and dying off? I know it seems like a stupid question but ever since Ive started becoming anal about trying to eliminate all strait branches from my trees (even cutting off all branches to trunk and starting over if needed), I run into this situation all the time and often wonder if wiring some movement into it would allow it to gain movement without having to cut it back and risk loosing the branch due to lack of light. Yet with the wiring option, you end up with no taper, just movement. I guess it depends on how much light the stub would receive, on this flat canopy it would probably get plenty of light to stay alive.

Wow thanks alot Giufo. that is a big compliment! If you view the tree from afar it does look real....from very very afar ....but you are right its all the blue sheet, clever hey?

Tennessee Garl, sorry dont know your name yet, I think you are right in both instances. I have already cut the branch and bend it to hook into a thorn of another branch, will keep it like that for a while and then unhook... and voilla a bend branch. See there is an advantage of having thorns.

Thanks Andrew. You live in the most beautifull place in the world, hihihihihi.
The sand I threw over the roots, it became exposed this last year, and I'm not going to replant him this year. One thing that I've learned about Acacias, they like a little deeper pot, if the pot is to flat, then I built a little hillock. I know what the IBC members will say if they see my big roots.....Cut them off!! So I'll rather hide the problem thatn listneing to them.. hihihihihihih just a joke.

Love and light

Wow, congratulations, it's rare to see this style bonsai. It seems to live in the African savanna.




Best regard , Daniel

thanks Daniel!

Your photo, is of the Best of all the Acacias, Acacia tortillis, the Flatcrown or Umbrella Thorn.

It occurs from ALL over Africa, the the most beautifull ones are in the Sinai Desert, the harsher the enviroment the more flatter and smaller these trees become.

I think there is a lesson to be learned in that .....emmmmm, no, its gone.

.....the harder you hit me, the more I become.....

Hi Andre,

This is such a nice tree. Ideal savannah tree, with the nice flat top, en the grazed underside.
I used to work in South Africa (Kruger NP) and Kenya, and have often been amazed with this growthform. I have tried to grow the tortillis, but after 2 years all of the sudden they started to die, one after the other. Do you know whether they need specific fungi to survive? I am considering growing some african species again, but would do so only once I know what may have killed my previous batch...

bucknbonsai wrote:andrew,
I like your idea but do you think that if you cut it back it would end up getting shaded out and dying off? I know it seems like a stupid question but ever since Ive started becoming anal about trying to eliminate all strait branches from my trees (even cutting off all branches to trunk and starting over if needed), I run into this situation all the time and often wonder if wiring some movement into it would allow it to gain movement without having to cut it back and risk loosing the branch due to lack of light. Yet with the wiring option, you end up with no taper, just movement. I guess it depends on how much light the stub would receive, on this flat canopy it would probably get plenty of light to stay alive.

Hi Bucknbonsai,

I think with acacia, which is now called Vachellia, the foliage is normally not that heavy that this would be a problem, but, if they are well treated they will shoot out quite well, so Andre should not have too many problems. If it were one of the more denser foliaged trees, I'd agree with you.

Cheers,

Andrew

LOL - Hey Andre, I think I know what you mean man!

I help me to write post with google translator but this program doesn't work perfectly so I don't understand your post completely and probably you don't understand well mine... I need a foreign lenguages course......
What I wanted to say in my last post it's that I realized your plant is a bonsai for blue cloth. without the blue cloth I would not realized

The genus Acacia was recently balkanized into five republics. Twisted acacia is Vachellia tortilis. Black monkey-thorn is Senegalia burkei. Monkey-thorn is Senegalia galpinii. Don't blame me.
Iris

...thanks Guifo, I got you the first time around.

Thanks Iris for the info, we lost the name to the Aussies. Bastards!
My trees grew up knowing that they are Acacias, if I tell them now, that they have become Senegalia , they will develope complexis and become biopolar! Like everyone else!

Andrew

Love and light
Andre

Hi Andre,

Lovely tree, I like the development of the canopy so far. It reminds me of the Acacia we have on our side which in growth habit resembles Acacia Tortillis (will try to get the specific name), here we have Acacia tortuosa and others.

Can you give some info on its development...was it collected or grown from seed, age, feeding cycle etc.

Anyway, your tree is beautiful and I'll look out for future pics showing its development.

Regards,
Nigel

For more information on growing the Senegalias, see Acacia Wanted. Presumably it will apply to your Jamaican species. Hank Miller grew Senegalias from seed. They grow very quickly and at four years old are ready to style. S. galpinii is very easy to train in the flat-top acacia style. Sotry som seeds.
Iris

Very nice tree! I have a few comments and suggestions. It is not always a good thing to cut the thorns off of an acacia. The new buds are located at the base of the thorns and can easily be damaged when the thorns are removed. As you are well aware during the growing season acacias grow very quickly and must be pruned back repeatedly. When pruning it is a good idea to cut back to the vicinity of one of the thorns. A small stub should be left which generally will die back to last thorn. The new growth which will develop from the bud at the base of the thorn will quite often come out at some angle. If this done repeatedly straight branches can be avoided and the zig zag shape seen in Pierneef's paintings can be acheived. The branches will also have good taper. Lastly one of the problems with acacias is they generally do not have good nebari (or for that matter any nebari). Unlike other species the roots only thicken up under ground. If you have good or potentially good rootage on an acacia don't hide it - flaunt it .
Regards
Hank
PS an acaia by any other name is still an acacia

Andre Beaurain wrote:thanks Daniel!

Your photo, is of the Best of all the Acacias, Acacia tortillis, the Flatcrown or Umbrella Thorn.

It occurs from ALL over Africa, the the most beautifull ones are in the Sinai Desert, the harsher the enviroment the more flatter and smaller these trees become.

I think there is a lesson to be learned in that .....emmmmm, no, its gone.

.....the harder you hit me, the more I become.....

Andre,
Is it the harsher conditions/climate that impacts the trees to grow this way or the giraffes eating all the lower vegetation lol.
Cheers Graham

I want your tree bru. Very nicely done.

I would leave the branch until you are 110% sure what you want to do with it. Easier to remove later than to regrow.

gman wrote:

Andre Beaurain wrote:thanks Daniel!

Andre,
Is it the harsher conditions/climate that impacts the trees to grow this way or the giraffes eating all the lower vegetation lol.
Cheers Graham

I think it is a combination of growth form and then ofcourse the trimming of the Giraffes. Acacia tortillis is also flat but very small, they get chomped from the top! Camels love them.

Acacias arn't the only flat top trees in Africa, there is the Albizia, Flatcrown, and there is the Flamboyant from Madacascar.

Love and light

Nigel Parke wrote:Hi Andre,

Lovely tree, I like the development of the canopy so far. It reminds me of the Acacia we have on our side which in growth habit resembles Acacia Tortillis (will try to get the specific name), here we have Acacia tortuosa and others.

Can you give some info on its development...was it collected or grown from seed, age, feeding cycle etc.

Anyway, your tree is beautiful and I'll look out for future pics showing its development.

Regards,
Nigel

Thanks Nigel. The tree is now 14 years old. It was bought as a broom in a Bonsai Nursery 8 years ago, and given to somebody as a gift form the Son-in-law, to the Mother of the Bride for a wedding gift. The Mother hated the Son. Well 3 years later they got Divorced, and the Mother felt that now se doesnt have to look after the hated Bonsai anymore, so she dropped it off here, at our Nursery, 5 years ago.

Since then the Giraffes had a go at it. Now its a Pierneef, and very happy.

Hm.. So.. I keep looking at this tree, and wonder why it is bothering me. Don't gt me wrong. I love this tree. Just something about that lowest branch..

Had a play with your tree. Removed the lower right branch. Bent the young branch in the crown down, grew it out for a year and creates the right-side of the canopy with it. Furthermore, I grew out the clipped branch on the left (Considered wiring it a bit steeper so it reaches the grown more quickly, but too many thorns on the tree), and creates some more canopy on the left. And of course, I took it out of the pot and placed it in the savannah, where it belongs.

What do you think of this future image?



For comparison:

Leatherback...mmmmmmmm looks great!!

I will definately consider it, the branch on the left that you say I must grow to reach the top canopy, was there in fact, I trimmed it back and wired ti down, now that it is in position, you want me to grow it back up again... the tree will think.... "o god, not again"! hihihihihihihihihihihihi
maybe I should remove that branch tooo, I think it will happen so in the future.

You similation is fantastic. Thank you.

Love and light