#BonsaiNews: Searching for an illusive ancient temple bonsai

THESE last few days have gone by so fast and yet, they have not only been super enlightening but they have also gone to waste to some degree.

Last week Monday, I set out to do some research on a story I heard some years ago.

(IMAGE SOURCE: asiadaytours.com)

It goes something like this: A magnificently large and beautiful bonsai was discovered in the ruins of an ancient Asian temple ( which I believe is Ta Prohm in Cambodia ) some years ago - the tree had survived only on drops of water which would fall down onto it from cracks in the ceiling and received minimal to no sunlight for centuries.

The tree was eventually discovered and housed somewhere by a collector of rare plants.

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The Ta Prohm temple itself was constructed in 1186AD and later abandoned during the 15th century - it was later declared a World Heritage site in 1992.

Not only is it a site which boasts marvelous views and magnificent photo opportunities, but it is also a place which you need to add to your bucket list as a must visit.

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Naturally, I thought this was hogwash until I heard the same story two weeks ago however, I have been completely and utterly unable to find anything to tie it to.

Now ironically, I did come across the oldest known bonsai trees on the planet, of which two have already been shared with you - Ficus retusa Linn (1000 years old) and the Japanese White Pine (400 years old and survivor of Hiroshima bombing).

Additionally, I found some unique and old bonsai worth sharing.

At an astounding 600 years old, and what I thought could be the illusive tree I was searching for (later ruled out), this Red Pine is suspected to be the largest bonsai on the planet and also requires additional support in the form of support beams to ensure that one of its main branches does not break.

(IMAGE SOURCE: pinterest)

Currently, the over 16 foot tall and 30 foot wide is housed at Akao Herb & Rose Garden in Atami, Japan.

Here I thought I might have struck gold (also ruled out) when it was established that this proven to be over 1000 year old Juniper, collected in the wild, popped up during my search.

Due to a lack of available information on this tree, I've contacted the owner and hope that he replies.

In the meantime, all that I know about this Juniper is that it is housed at the Mansei-en Bonsai (Omiya, Japan) nursery belonging to the Kato family - the tree is said to still be in training.

(IMAGE SOURCE: pinterest)

Either way, the search continues.

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Do you know anything about the bonsai tree I am searching for? Let me know if you know anything.

Do you want to share your bonsai related content?

The known #BonsaiCommunity members include (and you should follow them for cool content):
@creativetruth | @daniellozada | @romanolsamuels | @bonsaiaustin | @imagendevoz | @synekto
Comment below with your handle and, if you post bonsai related content your handle could appear above.

I would also like to include horticulturists in future posts - so feel free to comment with your handle and it could also be added.