Page 65 - Demo

In autumn, the season of transition, you can appreciate the color of the foliage, a beautiful bright yellow that attracts the viewer’s attention calling to mind the imminence of winter and its quiescence. But as soon as all the leaves drop and the tree is bare, seed heads appear with numerous nutlets covered with leafy bracts. Close-up they look like inverted ears, hanging down from the bare branches ready to release the seeds that when mature, will create new subjects to colonize more territory.
A comparison between the many varieties of Carpinus in our ecosystem, I would place the
Carpinus orientalis in first place for bonsai, along with the well-known Carpinus turczaninovii of oriental origin (China/Japan/Korea), that in autumn expresses its most interesting feature—pink-orange-red leaves, unique to this species.
Considering that the Carpinus turczaninowii is dif- ficult to find and normally comes with a high cost, Carpinus orientalis, more available in Italy, is recom- mended as starting material. Surely this choice will not be second class to a turczaninovii and will repay the bonsai artist, providing full satisfaction that grows day by day, as it has been for me over the years.
October/November/December 2014 | BCI | 63
Some species suitable for bonsai:
Carpinus betulus: hornbeam, European hornbeam, European ironwood. Its autumn color is yel- low- green, and it has grey bark. Hardy in zones 5-7.
Carpinus caroliniana (C. americana): American hornbeam, blue beech, water beech. Native to eastern North America. Nice orange and yellow autumn show. Hardy in zones 3-8.
Carpinus coreana: Korean horn- beam. Has very twiggy branching and a spectacular fall display with leaves that turn yellow, orange and red, sometimes in bands on the same leaf!
Carpinus japonica: Japanese hornbeam, Japanese carpinus. Nice flowers in spring. Smooth pink-grey bark.
Carpinus laxiflora: Japanese horn- beam, Loose-flowered hornbeam. Smooth, grey-beige trunk, small, glossy leaves.
Carpinus tschonoskii: Yedoensis hornbeam, Yeddo hornbeam
Carpinus turkczaninowii: Korean hornbeam, Turkish hornbeam. Yet another hornbeam offering a wonderful fall display. Has very small leaves.
Bibliograhy: see http://www. bonsai-bci.com/files/Hornbeam.pdf