Bonsai are ickle trees. It isn't a natural phenomenon, like wee pygmy tribesmen, but an artificial state of tree created by calm, intense (and quite possibly ickle) Japanese men with lots of time on their hands, although it actually wasn't until   the Heian period (794-1191) that Buddhist monks brought bonsai to Japan. By trimming the tree's roots and branches and keeping it in an ickle pot for many years it can be shaped, its growth is restricted and kept ickle no matter how old it gets - mine is 18 years old and still no taller than ... something about four inches high. ID

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