Pinus parviflora?

jguyett

I just bought two minature Japanese White Pines, grown from seed. They are three years old and about 3" high. The seeds are from a famous Japanese White Pine in Japan near a temple. I think the seeds came in under the radar. In any event both the grower and the importer did not make a note of the temple's name, or the cultivar's name. Is there anyone out there in bonsai land, that might have a clue as to the identity of these trees.

Thanks in advance.

Jg

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jloeschner

Jg,

It may just be my suspicious nature, but I believe that you got "took." After all, besides performing expensive genetic testing, how could you tell one tree's seed from the next? This sounds like a scam, and I hope that you didn't pay too much for these trees based on their "heritage."

Regards,
John

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Brent

JG

It's always good to know the provenance (source) of your seed, but you really can't identify your seedlings as anything other than than P. parviflora species. Cultivars must be propagated asexually to carry the cultivar name, that is, by grafting or cuttings. Seeds have are sexually propagated and thus will have a different genetic makeup. Calling your seedlings by the cultivar name is misleading and in fact illegal (if you sold them as such). It is important to preserve the genetic integrity of cultivars so that we can all rely on the cultivar name when purchasing them.

Brent
EvergreenGardenworks.com
bonsai@pacific.net

TreeBay

I think it was Kiyomizu Temple that has at the shoreline of a lake a single grafted white pine that the tour guides tell you was originally a bonsai presented as a gift by some emissary hundreds of years ago. That temple actually has a bonsai garden and it would not surprise me to learn they sell white pine seeds.

As pointed out above, the genetic character of a seed is most certainly guaranteed to be different than that of either of its parents. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them.

Regards,

Matt

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Vance Wood

I agree with both Brent and Matt. Regardless of the parentage of a seed it will assume its own identity and be different from the parent plant totally, or may be similar, but it will not be identical. Zuishio White Pine came from a parentage similar to the original posting and this may be the same area and parent stock but that does not mean that what comes up from seed is going to be Zuishio or anything remotely similar.

That being said I have enjoyed growing JWPs from seed for a long time. I have had over two-hundred of them from time to time and all of them have been different. That does not mean it has not been a rewarding and interesting adventure into the cultivation of those trees. As long as you know what to expect, and that is a crap shoot, then you cannot be dissapointed. However if you think you are going to get some special cultivar honored in bonsai circles the world over you will be disappointed.

jguyett

Thank you for your reply's. Given the size of DNA in a tree, that doesn't have to worry about weight, of course their can be a difference between off spring. But the trees are dwarf's, of that I am positive. But I do like to have a story to tell with each tree.

jg

jguyett

Naw, at four bucks apiece, that is pocket change. The kid I bought them from is moving to an apartment and selling his collection. He has the advantage over me only in that he is 40 years younger. Besides I am an old Yankee farmer.

jg