Common Bonsai Tree Forms

Most people are, at least, vaguely familiar with what a bonsai tree looks like. You've probably heard it a hundred times, but anyone who's seen The Karate Kid has seen a bonsai tree. Bonsai trees are regular tree species that have had their growth repressed by growing in containers and specific pruning techniques. Many of them also have a distinctive shape to them that makes them recognizable. There are, in fact, specific bonsai tree forms that these trees usually take. Below is a description of some of the more common ones.

Formal Upright

The first bonsai tree form we'll look at is the Formal Upright form. The distinguishing feature of this form is a straight trunk, evenly tapered from bottom to top. The branches will be evenly spaced around the circumference of the tree, but all of them will be at different heights. It is also possible to see this type of tree leaning slightly to the front. The longest of the branches is on the bottom, and they get shorter as they work their way to the top.

Informal Upright

The next bonsai tree form is the Informal Upright form. This type of tree is similar to the Formal Upright in that the trunk is evenly tapered from bottom to top. The difference is in the fact that the trunk has sweeping curves in it. These curves get smaller and less pronounced the closer you get to the top of the tree. When viewing the tree from the front, the curves should be going to either side.

Slanting

Slanting is another bonsai tree form that is quite popular. Obviously, this type of tree has a trunk that slants to one side or the other. It may also have characteristics of some of the other bonsai tree forms as well. These trees should be placed so that the lean does not go toward or away from the viewer. The most important thing for this type is that the majority of the roots are on the side opposite the lean. This will provide the tree with the necessary stability.

There are other bonsai tree forms as well, such as cascade and semi-cascade. These forms are not as well defined as some of the others that we have already discussed. They are quite random in their form and pattern, which makes them very difficult to create. If you're interested in getting into bonsai gardening, try to do as much research as you can first, so you know what you're getting into.