NABF Newsletter #7

Feature #2

Bonsai in the Caribbean

by Pedro J. Morales

History tells us that bonsai began in China and developed its values in Japan. But how it moved from Asia to America and all over the world is very interesting story. In the Caribbean area, there are still some places where no one knows what bonsai is.

In Puerto Rico, the story began in the 1940s when Mr. Hugo Storer went to the United States and was first exposed to bonsai. Once he returned to the Island, with the help of the local Horticultural Society, he established a little group that began to study the art of bonsai seriously. In the beginning, this study group worked with any available plants and applied Japanese styles to local material. Later, they realized that they should come up with their own styles for the local material. I think every group that begins bonsai passes through this experience.

Mr. Storer's first bonsai was a Flamboyant tree (Delonix regia) that he began from seed. He passed away some years ago, and he gave that tree to me 3 years before he died. The tree still looks nice and is a bunjin style now. It makes flowers every year.

Flamboyan - Delonix regia

In 1977, the study group separated from the Horticultural Society and organized the first local club which is now the largest on the Island, Club de Bonsai de Puerto Rico. Mr. Storer was a founding member and its first President. This Club now has 8 different chapters around the Island and also maintains good relations with all other clubs on the Island. In total, there are about 14 to 16 recognized clubs around.

Early in 1993, we organized the Puerto Rico Bonsai Federation (FEBOPRI) to bring all clubs together to hold the Latin American Bonsai Encounter that year and the BCI Convention in 1998. FEBOPRI still works for the benefits of its participating clubs on educational activities and in organizing lectures and conventions.

We also created the Febopri Study Group which meets the first Friday of every month to make presentations, perform research, provide lectures and demonstrations and prepares advanced members of all clubs so they can later give those lectures to their own clubs. We initiated a program under which we prepare all the lectures on species using PowerPoint and then give them back to the members so they could use them on their own clubs. In the 2 years during which this program has been in place, we have prepared more than 20 different lectures and have then ready for all clubs. During my Florida Tour this year I used some of them on my demos. It seems to help prepare the audience before a lecture on the characteristics of a particular tree.

FEBOPRI has now another great challenge ahead. In 2007 we are the host for BCI / FELAB 2007 Convention. This will be an outstanding event that promises to be outrageous.

There is a club in St. Croix that also does bonsai. I have visited them, and they have a very nice group commander by the name of Rudy O'Reilly. He is very enthusiastic, knows a lot about plants and provides the club's members with a very good program of learning. I'm sorry that I could not include in this bulletin any pictures of their bonsai, but for the next NABF Newsletter on the Caribbean I promise I will.