tinajasaltas
Seedling
Not nearly enough posts about Bursera on bonsainut! The above photo I took is of an in situ Bursera microphylla, or Elephant tree, I saw on a hike a couple years ago, the plant was about 30 inches tall. The microphylla variety inhabits remote areas just south of my home town Phoenix, Arizona. They continue south sparsely scattered among isolated rocky desert hills that track into Mexico where the species are more common. The area which this plant lives is desolately dry.
This next photo, my first Elephant Tree, was given to me by a good friend. It was potted for years in his front yard in a ceramic pot. He buried the pot with rocks to make it look as if it was growing out of the landscape. A bad frost Phoenix had in 2012 killed it to the surface of the granite soil in the pot. He decided this Autumn to sell his house and move into an apartment…so I kinda lucked out when he gave me the small twigs left coming out of the pot:
Whoever had originally potted this Bursera used soil contents of large granite rocks amongst smaller granite rocks mixed with dirt. I was excavating bones fossilized in rock when I dug the tree out for a re-pot. I used a mixture of cactus soil and bonsai soil in a clay azalea pot. I hear this plant is very forgiving in culture if it does not get too cold. it seems to be doing great now...here's some photos of the microphylla a couple months later since the re-pot:
No ramification has been executed on this plant’s branches or foliage- other than mother nature. I like how it has grown back; it could still use some training. I will protect it from frost this season.
I hope this starts some conversations and interest about this wonderful species. I hear it is more clip and grow but a hardy species. I will probably try a bit of wiring after this tree has recovered and is thriving again.
