Entry: Fukien Tea – Carmona retusa – Australia – WITHDRAWN

Artist: 015
Country: Australia
Common Name: Fukien Tea
Latin Name: Carmona retusa
Height (Before/After): 19cm (7.5″)
Pot Source: Plastic Nursery Pot

Before

Fukien Tea (Carmona retusa), or Philippine Tea Tree is a shrub growing to about 4 m in height. The shrub is distributed throughout Eastern and South-Eastern Asia; occurring in India, China, Taiwan and Japan. However, the tree is not entirely foreign to Australia, as it occurs both in the Australian territory of Christmas Island and at the Cape York Peninsula. The Fukien Tea plant can be kept indoors, but it does require heat and light. In addition, the tree likes to be kept moist but not wet. It is commonly used in bonsai and penjing due to it’s ability to quickly develop a thick and interesting trunk, and it’s naturally small leaves and flowers.

This tree was obtained recently from an online nursery in another state. I did not see the tree before it arrived at my house. It got a bit knocked around during transit, so some of the branches you see are only just holding on. I selected this type of tree because I have never worked with it before and would like to challenge myself to create something worthwhile. I will endeavour to remove to larger of the two major branches and train the remaining branch down into a semi-cascade design. Hopefully I will get some major growth in the coming months to facilitate more branches and foliage in the design.