[ANBA] callistemon seiberi

[shibui]

Callistemon seiberi - River Bottlebrush

callistemon waterswept 15.JPG

Age:from a 1 year old tubestock seedling about 1990. Basic training from about 1995.
Height: 46cm. Width: 70 cm (from tip of foliage to where roots enter the soil)
Grown by: Shibui, Victoria, Australia

I was inspired by callistemons growing in the nearby Ovens River. Trees that had germinated in pockets in outcrops of rock in the river grew with roots clasping the rock, searching for crevices to maintain a hold and obtain nutrients. Annual flooding ensures that only growth pointing downstream survives and is typically long and undulating. Flood borne flotsam and jetsam produces scars on the upriver sides of many trunks.
These trees were such an inspiration, showing toughness and tenacity in surviving in a hostile environment that I decided to recreate the unique character in a bonsai.
I believe this could be a unique Australian style of tree and have coined the term 'Waterswept' to describe it.