Unknown conifer

[PABonsai]

Can anyone identify this tree? Owner is claiming Norway Pine, but that doesn't look at all like Norway Pine to me. And if you know what it is, is it even worth obtaining?

 

[Carol 83]

It looks like my Norfolk Pine. The kind they sell at big box stores at Christmas with ornaments on them. I got mine for $1 on the clearance rack a few years ago.

 

[PABonsai]

I guess I could see that. Are these suitable for the craft?

 

[AlainK]

Norfolk Pine

Yes !

(This) Norfolk is not in Norway, it's an island in the Pacific Ocean. Norfolk pine is not a "pine", it's an Araucaria.

Extremely difficult 1/ to keep as a house plant, 2/ even more difficult, if not impossible to train as bonsai.

In some 30 years, I only saw one picture (from Taiwan) of a species of Araucaria trained as bonsai. Yours must be Araucaria heterophylla.

Araucaria columnaris is typical of "Nouvelle Calédonie", but I saw many in Sicily, apparently they like their new home....

Araucaria columnaris — Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

 

[just.wing.it]

Extremely difficult 1/ to keep as a house plant, 2/ even more difficult, if not impossible to train as bonsai.

Yep.

 

[PABonsai]

I will pass on this one then. Thanks guys.

 

[sorce]

I think these are beautiful and have seen large ones, but that became that way from ignorant people who bought them and without much thought, grew them that large, so, if there is a difficulty, I believe it's trying to hard.

Of course, this is a prevalent human characteristic.

Sorce

 

[Carol 83]

I have mine in a goofy little landscape I keep at my office for fun.

 

[penumbra]

It is actually a super easy plant to grow but it makes a lousy bonsai IMHO.