Native Louisiana Trees for Bonsai

I have listed below ten trees that I think are worthy of our consideration for Bonsai. The list is by no means complete, and some will take issue with the selection. Think "out of the box" and you might be surprised by what is waiting to be collected and trained as a masterpiece Bonsai.

BALD CYPRESS: This might be considered the premier Louisiana tree for Bonsai. It is normally found in swamps, creek bottoms, and areas subject to flooding. Good for up-right styles and forest plantings. (No cascade please.) Every Louisiana Bonsai collection should have at least one Bald Cypress.

ELM: There is a good selection of Elms to choose from: American Elm, Winged Elm, Water Elm, and Cedar Elm, with the latter being my favorite. The Cedar Elm has a smaller leaf and makes a great Bonsai. Elms are a good choice for beginners or pros and are my overall choice for collected material. Elms are found everywhere, but check out fence rows and old pasture land. Water Elms are near lakes and streams.

MAPLE: Tired of all those good looking Japanese maples burning up every summer? Well, let me clue you in on a little secret... Louisiana has some very nice native maples. The most common is the Red Swamp Maple. It is found ....in swamps. Bottom land and flood areas are the places to look. The Southern Sugar Maple or Green Maple is a good choice. It is found in areas with a little better drainage than the Red maple, but I also have found them in bottom land. It looks similar to a Sugar Maple, but with a smaller leaf. If you are lucky enough to find a Chalk Maple, you have struck gold. They are very rare in Louisiana, but do grow in the Natchitoches area. They look very much like the Green Maple, but with an even smaller leaf. I'm still looking!

HAWTHORNE: There are 1200 different species of Haws. I would recommend the Parsley Hawthorn for the foliage, fruit, and the nice bark. Look in old pastures and along fence rows. It does have thorns as the name implies. Mayhaw is another Haw to consider.

SWEETGUM: The poor man's Maple. They are everywhere, and most people consider them a trash tree. They make a great Bonsai.

IRON WOOD: Also called HOP HORNBEAM and related to the American Hornbeam. Most are found in low moist areas. Look for a smooth gray trunk.

HACKBERRY: Related to the Elm, they have a gray warty bark. Look along fence rows where birds drop the seeds.

AMERICAN BEECH: A great looking tree for forest plantings. It is found along creeks and bottom lands.

BLACK GUM: The growth pattern of the limbs is horizontal and looks good on the big trees. It is found in bottom lands.

RIVER BIRCH: This tree could look great in a forest planting. It has nice trunks with exfoliating bark. It may only live 30 or 40 years, but at my age who cares.