Plants specimens suitable for bonsai:
- Ornamental trees like Adenanthera pavonina, Bombax malabaricum, Bambusa nigra,
Callistemon lanceolatus, Erythrina crista-galli, Ficus religiosa, F. benghalensis, F. infectoria, F. retusa, Jacanranda mimosifolia, M. azaderachta, Punica granatum, Putranjiva roxburghii, Phespesia populnea etc.
- Several conifers like Juniperus chinensis, J. prostrate, Pinus khasiana, Cedrus deodara, Pinus densifolia etc.
- Shrubs like Azalea, Berberis asiatica, Fortunella japonica, Murraya exotica and Climbers like Wisteria sinensis, Hiptage madablota etc.
Types or styles of bonsai
a. Upright or Chokkan style: in this style a single specimen is grown with a straight and upright stem.
b. Winding or Kyokkuk style: in this a single trunk is twisted once or several times, showing as if it has struggled for its existence in the wild.
c. Oblique or Shakan style: this is also referred to as windswept style. The plant is grown in an oblique position as if swept by wind and consequently sometimes having more branches on one side.
d. Gnarled or Hankan style: this differs a little from the winding style. The trunk is twisted near the ground once or twice to form a knob or a loop.
e. Cascade or Kengai style: the trunk hangs over the edge of the container as if it was hanging over the ledge of a mountain.
f. Ikadi-buki style: a tree is often laid or trained horizontally and several branches are allowed to grow vertically at intervals resembling individual trees. Alternatively, two to three plants of the same kind may be planted in a single container.
g. Clustered style: types of bonsai where several branches and plants are allowed to grow from ground level in a clustered manner.
h. Clasped to stone style: a single tree is grown with its roots trained over a stone or some blocks of boiler ash. Plants grow in this way presents the look of age and tenacity.
