Taxodium distichum var mexicanum (mucronatum)

[Grant Bowie]

Here is the start of a group of Montezuma Cypres.

This tree was collected as seed in 1974 by Tom Coogan (then of Sydney but now of Canberra) from seed shed by a very large tree in the Sydney Botanical Gardens.

The seed was germinated and Max Candy grew it on for a few years. It was in a plastic pot sitting on the ground and of course it put roots into the ground and took off.

It was then sold to Edna Ellison, long term helper and friend of Dot Koreshoff, and when she died I bought the tree at auction in about 1988. The current apex that you can see was a sacrifice branch that I grew on for about 5 or 6 years and then like it so much I cut off the original apex and started all over again. The original apex started just above the first major branch on the right and headed to the left in an upright manner. This photo would have been taken around 2002.

Single Taxodium mucronatum.jpg

[Grant Bowie]

I liked the type of tree and its habits so much I went back to the Botanical Gardens in 1993 and collected more seed from the same parent tree. The Cockatoos were not impressed at me collecting seed and a few tried to attack me.

I germinated and grew many of these trees for sale over the years since then. In about 2002 I did a demo for Megumi Bennets club show and did a largish group of my homegrown Taxodiums.

About two years later I felt it lacked something, and that the big one I owned was never going to be a great tree, so I resolved to make an even bigger group with the 1974 tree as the major tree.

In 2004 with the help of Chris Allnut I made the current group. The pot was from Kingston Wang at Bonsai Environment.

RIMG0597.JPG

[Grant Bowie]

A year or so later

[Grant Bowie]

I donated the group to the NBPCA in 2008.

We repotted it once with the help of 5 very fit and strong people.

RIMG3172.JPG

Grant

[Jamie]

awesome mate absolutely awesome

i look forward to the day mine start butressing like that!

[Jow]

A nice group grant with a nice history to accompany it. I look forward to seeing it in the flesh one day.

[Asus101]

I loved this group. While ther I spent many hours studying it

[Grant Bowie]

Some more phots from this mornings scanning.

Grant Bowies Taxodium distichum var mexicanum 1992 001.jpg

Grant Bowies Taxodium distichum var mexicanum 2003 003.jpg

Taxodium m mother tree 1998 001.jpg

Grant

[Waltron]

awesome mate absolutely awesome

i look forward to the day mine start butressing like that!

They are awesome. I remember reading somewhere that they typically develop a greater flared trunk base when growing in water.

EDIT: This was refering to trees in the wild, not bonsai.

[dayne]

hi are these different from the normal taxodium distichum (swamp cypress) and if so how

[Jamie]

i havent read that but i have fluked the system in a sense as the on i have has added an extra 15mm acros the trunk from growing in a big pot, in a drum of water with a lot of DL, and other stuff to power it on.

i am hoping it works, i guess time will tell, the water leve i have in mine is nearly all the way to the top of the pot.

jamie

[Luke]

wow. Tree story's unfold in gatherings like those!... I am in aww of the art inside group and raft plantings!!! some are magical! just like that one!
luke

[Grant Bowie]

Hi,

When I collected the seed the trees were still known as Taxodium mucronatum(Mucronate Leaf Apex. Leaf apex tipped with short abrupt point on the end of the midvein.)

I do find them different to handle vs the straight Taxodium distichum in a number of ways and I feel it is confusing to now call it Distichum var mexicana.

Anyhow they do not get knees like the Swamp cypress but they do love water; however I have never grown them in water; unlike the Swamp cypress. Give them lots of sun, food and water and they will grow like a weed.

Other than a bit of scale I have never had any pest or disease with them. Let them grow vigorously and cut back as vigorously.

The biggest difference is that they don't go fully deciduous, they color up orange and then hang onto their leaves till spring.

They are also touchy when digging out of the ground for the first time.

Grant

[NBPCA]

Hi all,

We are repotting this group tomorrow, Friday 26th August.

The leaves are in some color but the main tree is still quite green.

Anyhow my one at home that I used as a demo at Bonsai By the Harbour this year is budding like crazy and so I feel it is about the right time to do it.

We will take lots of photos and post here.

Taxodium Group - 2011-7-13 - - Copy.JPG

Grant

[Scott Roxburgh]

A BIG JOB!

Will they be repotted as the other groups have been or will each tree taken out and repositioned?