bonsai
BON-sye
The Japanese art of growing miniature trees in containers through careful pruning, wiring, and root restriction — creating ancient forms in small scale. In wild landscapes, the word extends to trees dwarfed by wind, cold, or poor soil into natural bonsai — the krummholz of the treeline.
Etymology
Japanese: 盆栽, from bon (tray, pot) + sai (planting). The practice originated in Chinese penjing and was refined in Japan from the 14th century.
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