A GLOSSARY of BONSAI
A
alternate nodes - leaves which form on the alternate sides of a twig as in elm
apex - the tip of a tree or branch
auxin - plant hormone. *The most important is IAA, which has roles in phototropism, apical dominance, fruiting and rooting
air layer - a technique for propagating plants vegetatively by ring girdling the trunk or branch of a host plant, treating it with rooting hormone and wrapping in damp sphagnum moss or soil to promote root growth.
B
bonsai - Japanese term for the the art of cultivating and training a plant to create the illusion of a dwarfed tree.
bonkei - tray plantings containing stones, trees, plants and figurines
branch bender - a clamp or jack used to bend branches or trunk
branch splitter - a cutting tool used to divide branch or trunk to allow it to be bent more easily.
broadleaf evergreen - type of non-needled plants that remain green year-round. *Many of these are tropical. *Examples include ficus.
broom style - A training form for bonsai which resembles an inverted broom with a single trunk dividing into many symmetric branchlets which subdivide into twigs and so forth. *See Hokidachi
bunjin - Japanese term for an educated person or literati, a tree grown in this style, usually emphasizing a thin trunk, with a lean appearance and container with rough-hewn appearance.
C
callus - The raised roll of tissue that forms as a wound heals and closes
cambium - The layer of tissue between the xylem and phloem, where new wood is formed.
cascade - a bonsai style in which the trunk emerges from the soil and descends along one side of the container.
chokkan - Japanese term for the formal upright style
collecting - the process of gathering pre-bonsai material from the wild or suburban garden
clump style - see Kabaduchi
concave cutters - a bonsai hand tool used to remove branches with a flush or slightly depression-shaped cut.
crown - the series of branches at the apex of a tree that form shape that defines its silhouette.
cultivar - any named variety of plant with characteristics distinct from the species.
cutting - a *bit of a plant that has been cut and rooted. *A means to propagate.
D
deciduous - a plant that sheds its leaves and enters a state of dormancy annually
dioecious - plants with distinct male and female sexes, requiring one representative of each species to set fruit or viable seed.
E
eda - Japanese term for branch
evergreen - a tree that does not shed its leaves in winter. *Pine and juniper are examples.
F
fungicide - a chemical used to combat the growth of fungus
G
germination - the name for the process by which a seed leaves the dormant state and issues roots and shoots.
graft - to join a stem of one plant with another so they grow together. *Grafting is used both to propagate plant species and to add foliage where none previously existed on a bonsai.
grafting knife
H
han-kengai - Japanese term for semi-cascade - See also Kengai
hokidachi - Japanese Term for Broom Style
I
ishitsuki - Japanese term for root-over-rock style
J
jin - Pronounced JEEN - Japanese term for snags of deadwood on the ends of branches or trunk.
K
kabaduchi - Japanese term for clump style bonsai
kengai - Japanese term for cascade style. *See also han-kengai
L
lava - a soil amendment formed from crushed volcanic ash
layering - a method of propagating a tree by ring-girdling the trunk and inducing roots to grow from the wound.
M
moyogi - Japanese term for informal upright style
mycorhizzae - *beneficial fungi that develop in the soil in association with roots of higher plants.
N
neagari - Japanese term for exposed root or octopus style
nebari - Japanese term for the exposed root base of a tree, the root crown.
O
overpotting - planting a bonsai in a container that is larger than necessary to maintain it, sometimes done deliberately to provide room for future root development
P
phloem - the sap-carrying layer of the tree.
pH - measure of soil acidity. *pH 7.0 is neutral. *lower pH is acid, higher pH is alkaline.
perlite - *lightweight, porous, white granules that can hold water and air.
pot - A growing container for bonsai, usually high-fired clay
pumice - A white, hard volcanic product used as an agricultural amendment
R
raffia - A dried shredded reed used to wrap branches and trunk before bending to cushion and reduce the likelihood of splitting.
raft style - a bonsai style in which multiple trunks grow in a line from a connected base.
ramification - the development of a twigging structure by a series of divisions of branches into twigs and twiglets
rooting hormone / powder - a synthetic auxin in liquid or powder form which is used to treat cuttings taken from desireable plants to stimulate the development of adventitious roots.
S
sabamiki -A Japanese term for a tree with a wounded trunk tree that is hollow or split open
saikei - tray plantings containing stones, trees, plants, but in the strict sense, without figurines - See bonkei.
shari - Japanese term for exposed deadwood on a tree
sokan - Japanese term for a twin trunk tree
shakkan - Japanese term for slant style bonsai
sifting -
sphagnum - type of moss used as a soil amendment in its partially decomposed form, or as a rooting medium in the propagation of trees by air layering
suiban - Japanese term for a shallow tray without drainage holes intended for the display of suiseki
suiseki - Japanese term for viewing stone
T
tachiagari - Japanese term for the lower portion of the trunk
V
variegated - a tree with foliage spotted or striped in two or more colors.
vermiculite - mica that has been expanded with heat into a lightweight granule. Useful in rooting seedlings.
viewing stone - a stone appreciated for its natural characteristics, as a mountain or natural scene, including cliffs, waterfalls or an appearance reminiscent of a figure, animal, implement or structure, or perhaps an entirely abstract shape.
W
whetstone
wire
X
Xylem - beneath the phloem and cambium is this xylem layer of the tree that carries moisture and nutrients to the leaves
Y
yamadori - Japanese term for a tree collected from the wild mountain, or a tree with that appearance.
yose-ue - Japanese term for forest or group planting
Provided courtesy
TreeBay.com