Bonsai tree
species

Care guides for the common Bonsai tree species

In this section, we'll take a closer look into tree-species that are used for growing Bonsai, and Bonsai tree types. Each tree species has specific requirements for its cultivation, training, and care, so Bonsai tree identification is crucial to take proper care of your tree.

Selecting the right Bonsai tree species

SELECTING TREE SPECIES

Most popular species

Ficus — Ficus Ficus retusa or Ginseng

Juniper — Juniper Juniperus

Japanese maple — Japanese maple Acer palmatum

Find your tree species

We categorized the tree species into Broadleaf evergreen (leaves year-round), Deciduous (sheds leaves in fall) and Conifers (with needles or scale-like foliage). If you need more help, try our Identify my Bonsai guide.

Broadleaf evergreen tree species

Tree species that never lose all of their leaves at a single time, though they do shed their leaves gradually throughout the year. We have 39 guides available in this category.

Ficus — Ficus Ficus retusa or ginseng, Fig

Dwarf Jade — Dwarf Jade Crassula or portulacaria

Fukien tea — Fukien tea Carmona

Azalea — Azalea Rhododendron

Bougainvillea — Bougainvillea Bougainvillea

Snow rose — Snow rose Serissa

Sweet plum — Sweet plum Sageretia theezans

Box or boxwood — Box or boxwood Buxus

Olive — Olive Olea europaea

Hawaiian umbrella — Hawaiian umbrella Schefflera arboricola

Money tree — Money tree Pachira aquatica

Privet — Privet Ligustrum

Cotoneaster — Cotoneaster Cotoneaster

Citrus or Lemon — Citrus or Lemon Citrus limon and sinensis

Brazilian rain tree — Brazilian rain tree Pithecellobium tortum

Brush cherry — Brush cherry Eugenia myrtifolia and syzygium

Japanese holly — Japanese holly Ilex crenata

Premna — Premna Premna

Jasmine — Jasmine Gardenia

Fuchsia — Fuchsia Fuchsia

Crepe myrtle — Crepe myrtle Lagerstroemia indica

Myrtle — Myrtle Myrtus communis

Water jasmine — Water jasmine Wrightia religiosa

Firethorn — Firethorn Pyracantha

Wattle — Wattle Acacia

Bamboo — Bamboo Bambusoideae

Camellia — Camellia Camellia

Hibiscus — Hibiscus Hibiscus

Eucalypt — Eucalypt Eucalyptus

Aralia — Aralia Ming aralia, Polyscias

Tamarind — Tamarind Tamarindus indica

Lilac — Lilac Syringa

Desmodium — Desmodium Desmodium

Barbados cherry — Barbados cherry Malpighia glabra, emarginata

Honeysuckle — Honeysuckle Lonicera

Barberry — Barberry Berberis

Duranta — Duranta Durantha

Rosemary — Rosemary Rosemarinus, Herbal bonsai

Streblus asper — Streblus asper Sand paper, Serut

More Broadleaf evergreen (34)

Deciduous tree species

Tree species that shed leaves in fall or in the dry season. We have 36 guides available in this category.

Chinese elm — Chinese elm Ulmus parviflora

Japanese maple — Japanese maple Acer palmatum

Cherry — Cherry Prunus, Sakura

Wisteria — Wisteria Wisteria

Japanese elm — Japanese elm Zelkova

Oak — Oak Quercus

Jacaranda — Jacaranda Jacaranda mimosifolia

Weeping willow — Weeping willow Salix

Flame tree — Flame tree Delonix regia or Royal poinciana

Pomegranate — Pomegranate Punica granatum

Desert rose — Desert rose Adenium obesum

Trident maple — Trident maple Acer buergerianum

Ginkgo — Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba, Ginko

Chinese pepper — Chinese pepper Zanthoxylum piperitum, Xanthoxylum

Apple and crabapple — Apple and crabapple Malus

Hornbeam and beech — Hornbeam and beech Carpinus and fagus

Star magnolia — Star magnolia Magnolia stellata

Baobab — Baobab Baobab

Hackberry — Hackberry Celtis

Birch — Birch Betula

Japanese winterberry — Japanese winterberry Ilex serrata

Rose — Rose Rosa

Chinese quince — Chinese quince Pseudocydonia

Silk tree — Silk tree Albizia or Silk mimosa

Judas tree — Judas tree Cercis

Hawthorn — Hawthorn Crataegus

Jabuticaba — Jabuticaba Plinia cauliflora, Jaboticaba

Ash — Ash Fraxinus

Liquidambar — Liquidambar Sweetgum

Dogwood — Dogwood Cornus

Dwarf flowering quince 'Chojubai' — Dwarf flowering quince 'Chojubai' Chaenomeles speciosa

Sophora — Sophora Sophora japonica

Mulberry — Mulberry Morus

Horse chestnut — Horse chestnut Aesculus

Forsythia — Forsythia Forsythia

Persimmon — Persimmon Diospyros, Kaki

More Deciduous (31)

Pines and Conifers

Tree species with needle or scale-like foliage. We have 16 guides available in this category.

Juniper — Juniper Juniperus

Pines — Pines Pinus

Spruce — Spruce Picea

Redwoods — Redwoods Metasequoia and sequoia

Bald cypress — Bald cypress Taxodium distichum

Buddhist pine — Buddhist pine Podocarpus

Larch and Golden Larch — Larch and Golden Larch Larix, Pseudolarix

Cedar — Cedar Cedrus

Yew — Yew Taxus or taxaceae

Hinoki cypress — Hinoki cypress Chamaecyparis

Japanese cedar — Japanese cedar Cryptomeria

Thuja — Thuja Northern white cedar

Fir — Fir Abies

Hemlock — Hemlock Tsuga

Needle juniper — Needle juniper Juniperus rigida

Monterey cypress — Monterey cypress Cupressus

More Pines and Conifers (11)

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