Recognition of the best Florida native species bonsai will be continued at the 2018 BSF Exhibit. The American Bonsai Society (ABS) will be furnishing a special trophy. Included below is a list of bona fide native species that have been successfully grown as bonsai. Some names are familiar, while some not so much. It is by no means an exhaustive or exclusive list. If you are convinced you have a native Florida tree in a pot that’s not on the list, send a photo and species name to conventionexhibit@bonsai-bsf.com and we will check with the Florida Native Plant Society. If they agree, your tree will be eligible for the award. Trees should be submitted as normal for the BSF Convention Exhibit. Select ‘yes’ on the Submission Form if your tree fits the category to be considered for the American Bonsai Society Award.
The judges’ decision will be final. Good luck!
| COMMON NAME | SPECIES |
|---|---|
| Acacia | A. choriophylla |
| American Hornbeam | Carpinus caroliniana |
| Bald/Pond Cypress | Taxodium distichum, ascendens |
| Buttonwood | Conocarpus erectus |
| Calabash Tree | Cresenta cujete |
| Cat’s Claw | Pithecellobium unguis-cati. |
| Firebush | Hamelin patens |
| Florida Elm | Ulmus americana |
| Florida Keys Blackbeard | Pithecelbbium Keyense |
| Florida Privet | Forestiera segregate |
| Gumbo Limbo | Bursera simaruba |
| Hammock Velvetseed | Guettarda elliptica |
| Laurel Oak | Q. laurifolia |
| Lignum Vitae | Guaiacum officinale |
| Live Oak | Quercus virginiana |
| Manilla Tamarind | Pithecellobium dulce |
| Muscadine Grape | Tetrastigma rotundifolia |
| Palatka Holly | I. x attenuate |
| Parsley Hawthorn | Crataegus marshalii |
| Pine, Loblolly | Pinus taeda |
| Pine, Longleaf | Pinus palustris |
| Pine, Pond | Pinus Serotina |
| Pine, Sand | Pinus clausa |
| Pine, Slash | Pinus elliottii |
| Pine, Spruce | Pinus glabra |
| Pond Apple | Annona glabra |
| Saltbush | Baccharis halimifolia |
| Scrub Mint | Conradina cauescens |
| Sea Grape | Coccoloba uvifern |
| Shortleaf or Giant Bearded Fig or Wild Banyan Tree | Ficus citrifolia |
| Simpson’s Stopper | Eugenia Foetida |
| So. Hackberry/Sugarberry | Celtis laevigata |
| So. Red Cedar | Juniperus silicicola |
| Strangler Fig | Ficus aurea |
| Swamp/Red Maple | Acer rubrum |
| Tintillo | Randia aculeate |
| Tough Buckthorn | Bumelia chrysophylloides |
| Walter’s Viburnum | Viburnum obovatum |
| Water Elm | Planera aquatica |
| Wild Blueberry | Vaccinium species |
| Wild Hime | Zanthoxylum Fagara |
| Wild Tamarind | Lysiloma latisiligua |
| Winged Elm | Ulmus alata |
| Yaupon & Weeping Y. Holly | Ilex vomitoria / “Pendula” |