Caring for Fukien Tea (ehretia microphylla) As with any tree, Fukien tea have their own lighting, watering, and temperature needs. The humidity tray provides a small bubble of moisture around the tree to keep the tree from drying out. Do not confuse the tea tree with the unrelated common tea plant that is used to make black and green teas. Feeding: Solid organic fertilizer is appropriate for the Fukien Tea Bonsai because its roots are sensitive. With dark shiny leaves and white delicate flowers this versatile bonsai blends well in most settings whether they are placed indoors or outside in warm weather. The Fukien tea tree has many other names: the Philippine tea tree, the false tea tree, Ehretia microphylla, given by the naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, or Carmona retusa, by the botanist Martin Vahl. The pamphlet I got with it said it was 35 years old - it's quite large. Tea tree oil comes from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a small tree native to Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. Decades since I sat and watched Gong trim and water the bonsai, I am learning its name across languages. Liquid fertilizers can also be used in carefully measured dosage and only on moist soil. The elder tree has always been seen as a plant that has a highly medicinal use to its parts. Although some are deciduous, the species commonly used for bonsai is a tropical evergreen shrub. But even though its popularity as a tea brought it its names like Fukien Tea, Fujian Tea, Wild Tea, Philippine Tea, Tsaang Gubat and Chaang Bundok (which means Forest Tea and Moutain Tea in Tagalog), it is more commonly known as a ornamental shrub. Fukien Tea trees require a large amount of humidity and are traditionally placed in a humidity tray. Fukien tea love the heat and bright locations so keeping them as an indoor bonsai tree on an east or west facing windowsill can be quite easy. Fukien tea bonsai tree should be pinched and trimmed to a new and healthy growth. Here, the elder tree shows its versatility as its flowers, leaves, bark, and berries can be sued for medical purposes. Carmona retusa or commonly known as Fukien Tea or Philippine Tea Tree is a 4 m tall deciduous well-branched shrub with small white flowers and small drupe fruits. EDIT. Bonsai is the reproduction of natural tree forms in miniature. I'm not sure of how old the tree is. References HELP - Fukien Tea Tree. The tree is named after the Fukien province in … Periodically spraying the tree with a mist bottle will also help improve humidity.