Entry #44
Kalyos (Streblus Asper)
Philippines
32 1/2 cm (12.75")
Before
Kalyos is a native tree specie in the Philippines, it grows on thickets and river banks. The tree has a slender and straight trunk which, along with its natural small leaves makes it an ideal bonsai specimen for group plantings especially the raft style here in the Philippines. Its main characteristic is its way of reproducing, its sends our roots sideways and new shoot grows from it and eventually those shoots become trees themselves and the process repeats all over. Almost all Streblus asper bonsai trees here are trained in raft style.
The tree was personally dug up last March, its height is 12 inches (the tallest tree) and consist of two a natural rafts that were cut to fit the training pot consisting 13 trees. I plan to create a forest in the raft style using this specimen. Given its small size I’m hoping to finish the tree within the contest duration. It will be tans-planted in a shallow tray or slab or planted in a rock (Ishitsuki) when finished with an estimated height between 9 to 12 inches.