kauai ficus

the arrival of warm weather in cold places prompts ficus posts from the USA and europe. this spring has been no exception. sharing pictures of two ficus pumila (creeping fig) collected just today. both have excellent trunk movement and very nice character. pumila for bonsai are uncommon. it takes forever for trunks to thicken. one of our kauai bonyu kai fellows has an excellent/old bonsai shaped from a collected stump. abe's pumila is the only one I have personally seen. in time I will contribute two more trees to the pool. actually I collected 3 stumps, the one not pictured is an unusual raft.

best wishes, sam

the first series of pictures is the smaller of the two ( not really small, is it ? ) this tree has the luxury of having two fine fronts. #2 is the other side. these trees are difficult to collect. they start rooted in the ground them climb vertical surfaces. old trees such as these are attached to the stone wall in a thousand and one places. getting them off is a job. the lower trunk twists and turns over on itself. is this movement or is this movement?



planted in a 14 inch tub



this is the big brother. great base. superior trunk movement, natural shari.

WOW!!!! NICE!!! How old do you think these are?

thanks todd.

I'd estimate 25 + years. dating from the time the highway was constructed.

best wishes, sam

nice find! how long do you think it will take to develop a good branch structure?
Jon

Sam,

Nice finds! In my country, ficus pumila was very popular about 20 years ago. People withdrew from using them, because they had a low survival rate after collection and somehow were hard to propagate by vegetative means.

In Okinawa and other parts of Japan, they are commonly used for small bonsai. Two years ago, a beautiful semi cascade Ficus pumila from Okinawa was accepted as an entry in the Kokufu Ten. It got enough pionts to be featured in the album.

Kind regards,

Jose Luis

Sam,

Those are really cool. We have them here too growing over old walls and into the trees. They can make a real mess. I've never had the opprotunity to collect any, but I'll keep a eye out for a good one. If you and JL can post some pictures I'd sure love to see a few as bonsai.

I've noticed here that there are 2 types of foliage - big, woody old stuff, or the typical small leaved stuff that sticks to everything. Are these still smalled leaved, or does the woody, mature stuff revert when it is cut back hard? Any thoughts?

I don't know much about the biology of this plant and why it changes over time. I'll try to post pictures of what I'm talking about so others can see.

R

Sam,
Great trunks. Would love to see them again as you develop them.
In my limited experience they must not ever dry out. If they get dry, they die.
Jose Luis, can you post or find an image of the Kokufu tree?
Jerry

thanks for the good information, everyone. this is my first experience with pumila so we'll see how it goes.
best wishes, sam

Jerry,

I will find the picture this weekend and will post it for you.

Warm regards,

Jose Luis

I remember many years ago, when I did some programs in Michigan, visiting the home of Jack Wikle. He had several beautiful Ficus pumila shohin growing under lights in his basement ! I'm sure Jerry can tell us more, but ever since that visit I have been scouring nursery's looking for some with trunks even close to the ones Jack had. The largest ones I've seen down here are growing against a wall at the historic Viscaya residence in Miami. We visited there with the BCI bus tour about 10 years ago....remember those Jerry ?

Ed Trout Pembroke Pines, Fl

Ed,
I too have been looking for a decent trunk sized one for years.
I remember well seeing Jack's tree and I even bought one from him. I am not sure how to post am image of it. Unfortunately I lost the tree due to letting it dry out!!! It was in a small shohin pot and these are too dangerous in my hands.
Jerry[img][/img]

Russell Coker wrote:I've noticed here that there are 2 types of foliage - big, woody old stuff, or the typical small leaved stuff that sticks to everything. Are these still smalled leaved, or does the woody, mature stuff revert when it is cut back hard? Any thoughts?

Seriously, no one wants to take a shot at this???????????????

Here are some pics...

Woody branches hanging in an Eastern Redcedar...


Old leaf and a "fig" against the typical growth...


"Fig" still on the vine...

what's the base look like russell? must be HUGE?

best wishes, sam