Texas Persimmon

bnsaijim

Since I was out taking sub-standard pictures, I snapped a few others.

This is a collected TX persimmon in a literati style originally styled by Butch Wilken. I've been refining it for about 2 years now, mostly by clip and grow.

It still has a few years to go but it does bless me with flowers and fruit each year. Look carefully to the left of the 3rd curve.

The back has a shari that runs the entire length. The wood is hard as iron and turns black after exposure to air I.e., check out the pruning scars towards the base.

It's design flaws are obvious; your thoughts are welcomed.


Jim Stone
TX

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K.A. Rutledge

Jim,

That's a very cool Persimmon! I've seen few that are as good as this one. It may be slow going (like most bonsai) for the styling, but it will surely look excellent in the future. Heck, it's not all that bad now. Congrats on a great ongoing effort. I hope that you show this one in an upcoming TX show.

Kind regards,
Andy
http://www.bunjindesign.com/bonsai/
zone 8, Texas

dbz12fan

Hey i have that exact pot .

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Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl

pdbbonsai

I really like this tree...It has many great qualities but I have one question...why is this a literati style and not an informal upright?
My thoughts were that literati were more spacial on the trunkline than this.

Paul

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dbz12fan

Also what happened to the rule in literati that all foliage is at the top?

This is an informal upright right now.

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Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl

K.A. Rutledge

There is no "rule" that with literati all the foliage is at the top. A literati bonsai can have all of the foliage in the first 6" and a 22" deadwood trunk above it. Literati can be informal upright, formal upright, windswept, cascading or "other." As styles go, literati is the least bound by rules.

Kind regards,
Andy Rutledge
http://www.bunjindesign.com/bonsai/
zone 8, Texas

dbz12fan

I see i'm wrong again. Most literati I have seen are like the way i say and with very little foliage also.

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Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl

TreeBay

This tree isn't literati, but that doesn't mean it's not a nice tree.


1: This tree has a very wide buttress of roots relative to its height. Almost 1:3 ratio, which is -wide- in any book. Literati have typically much narrower rootcrown to trunk proportions.

2: The lowest primary branch (and the mystery sprig) begin around 1/4 the way up the trunk. Much too low for a typical literati.

I believe this is a tree most closely associated with penjing styles as you'd see on the Man Lung Gallery. (That is not a criticism but an observation!) This may have a lot to do with its training by clip & grow, which is the typical method of training Chinese bonsai.

And I don't think it would be improved by making it conform more to points 1 & 2 above!

Regards,

Matt

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bnsaijim

Thanks for your comments!

Andy, I wonder how many folks collect them and throw them out when they don't bud that first Spring.... And they aren't the easiest to train- just like Yaupon.

Regardless of the defined style, Matt hit it right on the head.

What I see in my head is something from a Chinese brush painting or perhaps a Japanese block print- hence my feeling regarding literati.

The most important part of literati style, or any style for that matter, is not the cookie-cutter prescribed proportions but the impression or essence instilled upon the viewer.

Once again we break our heads and other anatomy on the rules rock.

I showed this once at Moody Gardens about 3 years ago. Everyone loved it, especially the small fruit on a tree most folks recognized.

Thanks again everyone!

Jim
TX