Hi, New to the forum, but I just purchased a bonsai tree and I have had trouble identifying the species...I don't have a picture, but it has some very distinct features that I believe will help in identifying it. Primarily, it has green leaves, but the edges of the leaves are white. If you have any ideas of what it could be, I would really appreciate it
Maybe Ficus benjamina 'variegata' ? Without seeing a picture of it, ID will be quite difficult. What shape are the leaves? Texture? Does a white or clear sap come out when you snap one off? What is the texture of the bark? Where did you buy the bonsai?
The leaves are thinner and end in a point, rather than being rounded off. They are shiny, but when you look closer, there are hair-like projections covering the surface. No sap was observed when snapping off a leaf. The bark is an orangish-brown. Purchased from a greenhouse. Thank you for your help!
You should probably post a picture. If you got it at a greenhouse that had lots of plants and few employees to check them for things like that or did not treat it, the tiny hairs could be an indication of mites. This is not a definite issue - and may not even be the case - but pictures really help. I apologize if I get you worried without cause, your plant may have those naturally, so until it is identified you should not treat it for an issue it may or may not have. (I have violets that I had to leave at my parent's house due to this issue, their lack of houseplants, and my inability to get rid of them even with spray stuff meant for mites. Does not seem to hurt certain types of plants as much as others because they are still very healthy anyways.)
Might be Serissa foetida, a common subject for Bonsai. http://www.pendernursery.com/Catalog/Detail/serissafoetidavariegata.html
Re: Tree with photo looks like a variegated Myrtle to me . http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.forestfarm.com/images/products/3122/myco110v2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.forestfarm.com/product.php%3Fid%3D3122&usg=__N1MDq2BzKJGsxJ791QsIV4sLD_U=&h=450&w=600&sz=82&hl=en&start=32&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=GmWtHntvwHANZM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dvariegated%2Bmyrtle%26start%3D21%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26ndsp%3D21%26tbs%3Disch:1
