Chinese species name: Yale's Dance, also known as the silver-leafed Gongsun tree
Morphological features
The plant has a fleshy stem with many branches sticking out horizontally, the new branches are reddish-brown, and the old stem is grayish-white; the fleshy leaves are ovate, decussated, and opposite, with the leaves being about 1.2 centimeters in length, and 1 centimeter in width, and there is reddish halo on the edges of the new leaves. Plant height 3~4 meters, old stem purple-brown, shoots purple-red, branches nearly horizontal, fleshy leaves opposite, green, obovate. Yale Dance is a shorter plant with weaker branches, reddish-brown (new stems) or grayish-white (old stems) fleshy stems: fleshy leaves are decussate, with a pink halo around the edges of the new leaves, which later gradually recedes as the leaves grow and finally turns into a thin pink line at the edge of the leaf until it disappears altogether. Most of the leaf blade is yellowish-white, only a small part of the center is light green; the small flowers are light pink, with little ornamental value. Difficult to open under artificial cultivation conditions.
Growth habit
Prefer sunny and warm, dry, well-ventilated environment. Tolerant of drought, avoiding shade and cold. Although it can grow normally under semi-shade and diffused light conditions, the color of the mottled brocade on the leaves will fade and the distance between the stem nodes will elongate, making the plant loose and uncompact, which affects the ornamental.
Maintenance methods
1 temperature: generally, 10 degrees can grow. There is no excessive requirements.
2 light: in addition to a little shade in the summer heat, the other seasons should try to receive more sunlight.
3 water: usually watering grasp "not dry not water, watering is watering through", avoid waterlogged potting soil, and do not long-term rain, so as not to cause root rot.
4 summer and winter: pay attention to good ventilation in the summer heat, to prevent the heat and humidity caused by leaf drop, rotten roots. In winter, keep the potting soil dry, sufficient light, reduce watering, maintain the ambient temperature above 10 ℃. In winter, move indoor sunny place maintenance, control watering, 10 ℃ can be safe overwintering.
Propagation methods
The propagation of Yale Dance is commonly used cuttings or grafting methods. Cuttings are usually taken in the growing season, the spike can be used to shape the pruned branches, length requirements are not strict, but at least 3 to 4 pairs of leaves. Remove the lower leaves before insertion, dry 1 to 2 days, such as wound drying inserted in the culture soil, placed in no direct sunlight, keep the soil slightly moist, 2 to 3 weeks can be rooted. Seedling survival logistics thin fertilizer, so that it grows vigorously, when the plant grows to a certain size can be modeling. Grafting is also done during the growing season, with the rootstock being grafted by cleavage using the original Yale-No-Mori tree.
Yale no Bonsai can be styled by a combination of coiling and pruning, with different forms such as straight stem, curved stem, slanting stem, cliff style, and waterfront style being common. As it is a fleshy stem, do not strangle the metal wire into its skin when coiling, otherwise it will cause the fleshy stem to tear. Its branches are sparse, long branches are slightly drooping, and the crown is mostly in natural style, dashing and elegant, sparse and dense, very characteristic. Can also be used to take advantage of the characteristics of its small dense leaves, often pruning, to promote the development of small branches, the crown will be cultivated into a compact triangle or bun-shaped. For cuttings of Yale dance, can be slightly coiled, pruned, planted in small pots, and with the stone, that is, become exquisite lovely, delicate and chic miniature bonsai.