Candle tree

[Budi Sulistyo]

I have a Candle tree I got from Manila. It is fruiting now. But the tree is not willing to grow big. Any body knows the tip to grow it.
Thanks.
Budi

[Budi Sulistyo]

The fruit

[CharlesBevan]

I have never seen this species, but I would put it in the ground or a grow box.

[saint]

Budi,

As I said I've seen this at species at Arthur's, he has several outstanding bonsai using it.

Here is the only one that I have in my collection. This one has never fruited as far as I am aware but I have seen Arthur's fruit.

[Jerry Meislik]

David Fukumoto of Hawaii grows these I believe. I will see if I can get him to comment.
Very nice trees Budi and Saint.

[~~~David]

Jerry emailed and requested comment so I joined the forum and hope the following helps. Budi, Candle Trees have been growing in Hawaii as bonsai since the 1970's and most initially were from cuttings.

About 1985 we found a row of them growing in a rocky yard in Kona and they naturally topped off at about 8 feet tall with most growth only at the top and bare trunks without much character but with many seed pods which we collected. Trees were over 30 years old and trunks not more than 3" without much character or taper.

As bonsai, it's hard to get more than 2" even with accelerated large container growth, heavy fertilizing, and massive reduction. Consider nice 8" to 15" tall bonsai with trunks to about 1 1/2" thick.

When dried and the pods slit, the seeds that look like bell pepper seeds can be scraped from the sticky pod and they make cute 1 1/2" to 3" micro-bonsai in 3/4" to 1 1/2" pots or in saikei landscapes. Keeping them small is a challenge.

Our variety may be different from Budi's as although the leaves and flower are similar, pods are long, round in cross-section, yellowish, and waxy (like a candle). Saint, I commend you on your beautiful bonsai. Our variety seems to have a rougher bark and much more aggressive roots.

If a young plant is in a round container, a single root becomes dominant and it lengthens and goes around and around like a spring. So I recommend nipping the tap-root short, placing a piece of plastic sheet over the coarse bottom, and potting with just a 1/2 inch of body soil.

These trees are apical-dominant so I do heavy top reduction often to prevent the tree becoming top heavy and loosing the taper. If you trim these like mame bonsai, they root easily and are great for rock plantings.

Many train them as straight uprights but I think the coarse roots don't match. I recommend a very low slanting cut through the trunk near the roots with the base angled to create a low bend as the start of informal styling. Seal the cut with vaseline and new growth appears consistently. They look great as semi-cascades with the pods hanging free of the pot.

Hope this information is helpful. Regards and aloha!

~~~David W. Fukumoto david@fukubonsai.com
www.fukubonsai.com

[Jerry Meislik]

David,
Thanks for the informtation on this material.

[Budi Sulistyo]

Thanks Jerry. Thanks a lot David. If you can send the pic of the tree in nature, it would be great. Once more thanks a lot.
Budi

[Budi Sulistyo]

I saw the tree nature candle tree in Kandy botanical garden, Srilanka. It was about 4 m high.
Budi

[Budi Sulistyo]

The label