Piece 4: Mary Madison

Buttonwood, Mary Madison. Buttonwood. National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. Photo from NBF.

    Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) is a coastal shrub famous for growing on the beach. Madison was often referred to as the queen of buttonwoods, because she collected most of the best examples of this shrub. This bonsai started training in 1975, and is considered one of the best examples of American bonsai.

    Yet another tree with deadwood, but it's not classified as a driftwood style bonsai. It's a "sabamiki," split-trunk or lightning struck style. Generally, bonsai with large, heavy pieces of natural deadwood are considered driftwood style. This bonsai, with its relatively small piece of deadwood that runs up the trunk into the canopy, matches the lightning-struck description.

    Unlike the bonsai by Hirao, you can see the point where the trunk enters the soil, a highly valued trait. The dark of the trunk highlights the stark white deadwood, making it glow. It's planted in a five-sided lotus style pot and on a stand with five legs. The color of the pot harmonizes well with the stand and tree, completing the composition. Note that the feet of the pot don't match up with the legs of the stand. It's to help the balance of the composition.

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