Luma apiculata
Luma is an evergreen shrub with creamy, exfoliating bark; waxy,
rounded,lemony scented leaves which grow to about one inch;
and small, white flowers which bloom in mid to late summer. The
mature plant will grow to about ten feet, and also makes an
excellent landscape plant. Although unknown in the East, and
very recently introduced into bonsai culture, Luma promises to
be a highly desirable plant for bonsai use due to its
attractiveness, ease of care, rapid trunk growth and good leaf
reduction. It may be a good starter plant for beginners because
of its ability to survive abuse.
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Species suitable for bonsai |
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Lighting:
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Enjoys high light levels, which will cause it to grow
more rapidly, but puts out good, tight foliage even in the shade.
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Temperature:
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Cold hardy to about 15F. Will probably do well as
an indoor plant. Capable of survival in very high heat.
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Watering:
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Moderate, although nicely drought resistant. It can
also take high humidity.
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Feeding:
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Needs little fertilizer - once or twice monthly with
liquid bonsai fertilizer, or use of time-release fertilizer
should do the trick.
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Repotting:
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Not fussy about soils or ph - standard bonsai soil
should work nicely. No information was given on transplanting
time, but in spring, before active growth begins is usually a
safe bet. Luma roots very rapidly, and may need frequent
repotting, every 1-2 years.
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Styling:
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Although styling practice for Luma is still quite
experimental, this plant promises to make an easy bonsai. The
leaves reduce readily, and the plant buds back profusely on old
wood. Branches ramify quickly and finely, making the plant a
natural for shohin, but the rapid trunk growth makes it also
very suitable for large bonsai. Luma's one drawback (if it
could be called that) is its rapid growth, which makes frequent
pruning a must.
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Propagation:
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Roots readily from cuttings.
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Pests etc.:
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No known pests, not even aphids or deer.
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Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 06:35:29 -0700
From: Brent Walston
Well Sabrina
I thought it entirely appropriate for me to jump on this one since
I sold it to you. Luma apiculata is an evergreen shrub/tree to about
ten feet and cold hardy to about fifteen degrees F. It has rounded
shiny waxy leaves about one inch long and slightly lance shaped,
they reduce nicely. The foliage is very handsome year round, a
solid very dark green and fragrant, almost lemony. It is not unlike
wax leaf privet and can be mistaken for it. It is also mistaken for
Myrtle. The bark is creamy and exfoliates somewhat when mature.
They form magnificent trunks, tapered and picturesque even without
any special effort. They grow VERY fast, and will require frequent
pruning, and repotting. They are drought resistant, deerproof and
make excellent landscape plants as well as bonsai.
This is another species unknown in the East, and unknown to bonsai,
but it has very good potential. Styling is still in the experimental
stages. Despite its growth rate it makes good Shohin, the branches
ramify and the leaves reduce as soon as it gets a little rootbound.
I use the clip and trim or lignin method of training the trunk,
letting a leader grow and then cutting it back to form a curve and
a position for a branch. The bends at these cuts for Luma are nearly
always dramatic, forming very angular and interesting crooked little
trunks. Uprights would be very boring. I have only one monster plant
in training. After allowing it to escape its five gallon can and
root into the ground, I got a six inch trunk in less than five years.
I pruned it periodically to force growth downward. The buds break all
over the trunk whenever it is cut. Need a branch here- no problem
just cut the top and buds will break all over the place. I let
several of the very low branches grow wild so now I have an
enormous trunk with excellent taper. This year I cut it all the
way back to eighteen inches and will remove the stubs of the big
sacrifice branches at the base of the trunk this fall. It has new
growth coming out all over, and from this I will select final
branches. At completion it should be about eight inches in diameter
and about eighteen inches tall.
If this isn't enough to tempt you, it has small white flowers with
brush like anthers (like Syzygium) in mid to late summer when little
else is in bloom. Of course it would need cold protection for most of
you, meaning greenhouse or indoors. I have not tried growing it
indoors but I think it would preform beautifully since it still
puts out good tight foliage at even low light levels. The large
one I described above was grown in the shade. God only knows how
big it would be if it had been in more light.
They require little fertilizer, are not picky about soils or pH,
get no bugs, or diseases, not even aphids that I have noticed, and
are nearly bulletproof. They even come back nicely after drying out
to the point of wilt without losing their leaves. A great beginner
plant, that you can play with a lot because it grows so fast and
will survive lots of abuse. Oh by the way it roots from cuttings
like a weed.
Brent
Evergreen Gardenworks
bonsai@pacific.net
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Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 07:44:00 GMT
From: Walter Medak
[snip]
Is there a common (English) name for this, just in case some of us get
blank stares with the Latin name?
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Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 19:19:50 -0700
From: Brent Walston
Walter
I haven't heard any common names, out here everyone calls it Luma.
It was once classified as a Myrtle, so you might find it labeled
Myrtus luma or some such thing. It will undoubtedly be very hard to
find east of the Rockies. It would be cold hardy only in the South.
Brent
Evergreen Gardenworks
bonsai@pacific.net
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Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 22:12:00 GMT
From: Walter Medak
Myrtle just might do it. We have a conservatory here that has 4 distinct
climates within 4 glass pyramids. I suppose it might be worth a trip, and
a few dollars for admission, to see where they get some of their
specimens. That, or some of the greenhouses around. Thanks for the info.
=================================================================
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 19:20:01 -0700
From: Brent Walston
At 07:30 PM 7/3/96, you wrote:
>Brent: Will it take high heat and high humidity--over almost 6 months?
>
>They sound great.
>--
>Jim Lewis--jklewis@freenet.tlh.fl.us
> - Cool the Earth . . . Plant a Tree
>
Jim
High heat? We may not be south TX but we regularly get over 100 d. F.
It is very dry here, but in the nursery with all the water around the
humidity stay pretty high. This plant is bulletproof.
Brent
Evergreen Gardenworks
bonsai@pacific.net
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Information Sources:
Information on Luma is taken 99.99% from Brent Walston, with a
little help from posts by Walter Medak and Jim Lewis, and my extensive
(har har har) experience being a proud Luma owner for about a month at
the time of this writing.
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