Limber Pine No. 23

Pinus flexilis

Height 52" Width 44" 

One of the many charming aspects of Limber Pine is its common ability, or even its propensity, to hollow from the center of the trunk. This characteristic allows the species to be malleable on the granite outcroppings and exposed regions trees occupy, bending to the wind and the weight of the snow without breaking. This adaptability also creates an aesthetic compliment to the more rigid external shell of deadwood and the sinuous trunk. Combined, these features create some of the most dynamic characteristics of any North American native bonsai species. 

This tree's design centered around using the branching to occupy space and present physical weight in unpredictable areas around the trunk giving it a stance that generates identifiable attitude and character. The resulting design conveys a human personality in the tree through these unique interactions between the trunk and branching and expresses the tree's spirit as defiant of the elements acting on it in the native environment.