Does anyone know what species this is?

[jason1hunsperger]

Sorry if this kind of post is not allowed, I am very new here. I dug this plant up in my backyard today. It looked interesting and thought I could turn it into a bonsai. I have no idea what species it is and was hoping someone could help. If it helps, I live on san jose, California.

 

[Desert O'Piñon]

It looks to me like some kind of citrus. It has potential as bonsai. I'm not familiar with SJ climate, but it may need winter protection if temperatures fall below about 40°. Otherwise you will have best results outside in full sun.
I won't suggest anything else, as I'm pretty new to the craft myself and still have much to learn. But you've found the right place to get all the information you need. If you click on your profile, you can add your location so that some of the veterans and others who are more knowledgeable can simply tap your profile without having to comb through however many posts will be on this thread.
Welcome!

 

[Esolin]

Looks like Euonymus japonicus to me, or a related species. Or maybe a privet. Both are common landscape shrubs in California.

 

[Shibui]

Quite difficult to ID plants after they have ben pruned back to just a few leaves. New shoots can give clues as can bark texture and colour. Growth habit is another helpful ID factor but we can't see that when it has been pruned severely.

Looks a little like citrus but more like Euonymus I think. Escallonia is another possible but I cannot see much serration around the leaves.
If it survives the transplant, post some more pics here when it has grown a bit.

 

[jason1hunsperger]

It looks to me like some kind of citrus. It has potential as bonsai. I'm not familiar with SJ climate, but it may need winter protection if temperatures fall below about 40°. Otherwise you will have best results outside in full sun.
I won't suggest anything else, as I'm pretty new to the craft myself and still have much to learn. But you've found the right place to get all the information you need. If you click on your profile, you can add your location so that some of the veterans and others who are more knowledgeable can simply tap your profile without having to comb through however many posts will be on this thread.
Welcome!

Thank you for the information!

 

[jason1hunsperger]

Looks like Euonymus japonicus to me, or a related species. Or maybe a privet. Both are common landscape shrubs in California.

I have heard privets can be used for bonsai, what about Euonymus japonicus? Thanks for the reply!

 

[jason1hunsperger]

Quite difficult to ID plants after they have ben pruned back to just a few leaves. New shoots can give clues as can bark texture and colour. Growth habit is another helpful ID factor but we can't see that when it has been pruned severely.

Looks a little like citrus but more like Euonymus I think. Escallonia is another possible but I cannot see much serration around the leaves.
If it survives the transplant, post some more pics here when it has grown a bit.

Thank you for the reply, I should of taken a pic before I pruned it that heavy. I'll take more pics once it has grown back. I'm hopeful it will recover, it had plenty of roots and soaked it in rooting hormone and root stimulator. I also dug out a coastal live oak similar size. The live oak I'm worried, doesn't have much roots but time will tell.

 

[Esolin]

I have heard privets can be used for bonsai, what about Euonymus japonicus? Thanks for the reply!

Another google search gave me this:

Euonymous/ Spindle Bonsai – Bonsai4Me

bonsai4me.com

It's probably Euonymous Fortunei if it was a landscape scrub. Not ideal for bonsai according to the article, but there's no harm in trying. A lot of folks play around with species that are not ideal for bonsai, just to experiment and learn what's possible.

 

[jason1hunsperger]

Another google search gave me this:

Euonymous/ Spindle Bonsai – Bonsai4Me

bonsai4me.com

It's probably Euonymous Fortunei if it was a landscape scrub. Not ideal for bonsai according to the article, but there's no harm in trying. A lot of folks play around with species that are not ideal for bonsai, just to experiment and learn what's possible.

Thank you for digging that up for me. Was a good read. Will definitely be good material to work on even if it never becomes a proper bonsai. With the trunk and deadwood feature, I think I will try to make shohin and just work on making a canopy. Maybe after a couple years it will look cool.

 

[BalamBonsai]

Sorry if this kind of post is not allowed, I am very new here. I dug this plant up in my backyard today. It looked interesting and thought I could turn it into a bonsai. I have no idea what species it is and was hoping someone could help. If it helps, I live on san jose, California.

Looks like it could be lavender star (grewia occidentalis)

 

[jason1hunsperger]

Looks like it could be lavender star (grewia occidentalis)

Thank you for the input!