Below you’ll find examples of genera and individual species commonly used for bonsai.
Genera
| Scientific name | English name |
| Abies | Fir |
| Adenium | |
| Alnus | Alder |
| Ampelopsis | Peppervine
Porcelainberry |
| Aralia | Spikenard |
| Arbutus | Madronas |
| Asteraceae | Aster |
| Berberis | Barberry |
| Betula | Birch |
| Bougainvillea | Bougainvillea |
| Buxus | Boxwood |
| Camellia | Camellia |
| Carpinus | Hornbeam |
| Cedrus | Cedar |
| Chaenomeles | Flowering Quince |
| Chamaecyparis | Cypress |
| Cornus | Dogwood |
| Cotoneaster | Cotoneaster |
| Crassula | Jades |
| Crataegus | Hawthorn |
| Cryptomeria | Sugi |
| Cupressus | Cypress |
| Elaeagnus | Silverberry |
| Enkianthus | Enkianthus |
| Eugenia | Brush cherries |
| Euonymus | Spindle |
| Fagus | Beech |
| Fraxinus | Ash |
| Fuchsia | Fuchsia |
| Gardenia | Gardenia |
| Ilex | Holly |
| Lagerstroemia | Crepe myrtle |
| Larix | Larch |
| Ligustrum | Privet |
| Liquidambar | Sweetgum |
| Lonicera | Shrubby Honeysuckles |
| Malpighia | Barbados Cherry |
| Malpighia | Malpighia |
| Malus | Apples & Wild apples |
| Mangifera | Mangifera |
| Metasequoia | Dawn Redwood |
| Myrtus | Myrtle |
| Nothofagus | Southern beeches |
| Parthenocissus | Virgin creeper |
| Phyllostachys | Bamboo |
| Picea | Spruce |
| Pieris | Andromeda |
| Pittosporum | Cheesewoods |
| Podocarpus | Podocarpus |
| Pseudosasa | East Asian bamboo |
| Pyracantha | Firethorn |
| Quercus | Oak |
| Rhododendron | Azalea |
| Sageretia | Mock buckthorn |
| Sasa | Bamboo |
| Sorbus | Rowan
Whitebeam Service tree Mountain-ash |
| Tamarix | Tamarisk |
| Taxus | Yew |
| Thymus | Thyme |
| Tsuga | Hemlock |
| Zanthoxylum | Chinese Pepper |
Individual species
|
Scientific name |
English name |
|---|---|
| Acer buergerianum | Trident Maple |
| Acer campestre | Field Maple, Hedge Maple |
| Acer circinatum | Vine Maple |
| Acer ginnala | Amur Maple |
| Acer monspessulanum | Montpelier Maple |
| Acer palmatum | Japanese Maple |
| Acer pseudoplatanus | Sycamore Maple |
| Acer rubrum | Red Maple |
| Adenium obesum | Desert rose |
| Amelanchier canadensis | Amelanchier |
| Ampelopsis glandulosa | Ampelopsis |
| Betula nigra | River Birch |
| Buxus microphylla | Japanese box
Littleleaf box |
| Buxus harlandii | Harland boxwood |
| Camellia japonica | Camellia |
| Carmona microphylla | Fukien tea tree
Scorpionbush |
| Cedrus libani | Lebanon Cedar
Blue Atlas Cedar |
| Celtis sinensis | Chinese Hackberry |
| Chamaecyparis obtusa | Hinoki Cypress |
| Chamaecyparis pisifera | Sawara Cypress |
| Cissus antartica | Australian grape vine
Kangaroo vine |
| Citrus micrantha x Citrus medica | This is a citrus hybrid. In English, it is known as key lime. |
| Cotinus coggygria | Smoke Tree |
| Crassula ovata | Jade plant
Friendship tree |
| Cupressus macrocarpa | Monterey cypress |
| Cydonia oblonga | Common quince |
| Dasiphora fruticosa | Shrubby cinquefoil |
| Euphorbia balsamifera | Wolfsmilk |
| Ficus benghalensis | Banyan |
| Ficus benjamina | Weeping fig |
| Ficus carica | Fig tree, common fig |
| Ficus microcarpa | Chinese Banyan fig |
| Ficus neriifolia | Willow-leaved fig |
| Ficus rubiginosa | Port Jackson fig |
| Fortunella hindsii | Dwarf orange |
| Fuchsia fulgens | Fuchsia |
| Gardenia jasminoides | Cape jasmine |
| Ginkgo biloba | Ginkgo |
| Grevillea robusta | Australian Silver Oak |
| Hedera helix | English ivy |
| Gledista triacanthos | Honey locust |
| Hibiscus syriacus | Rose of Sharon
Rose mallow |
| Jacaranda mimosifolia | Blue jacaranda |
| Jasminum nudiflorum | Winter Jasmine |
| Juniperus procumbens | Dwarf Japanese garden juniper |
| Juniperus chinensis | Chinese Juniper |
| Juniperus squamata | Blue juniper |
| Juniperus virginiana | Eastern juniper |
| Lagerstroemia indica | Crepeflower
Crepe myrtle |
| Lantana camara | Spanish Flag
Jamaica Mountain Sage Surinam Tea Plant |
| Maclura pomifera | Osage Orange |
| Malpighia coccigera | Barbados Cherry |
| Magnolia stellata | Star magnolia |
| Malpighia coccigera | Singapore holly |
| Murraya paniculata | Orange jasmine |
| Myrciaria cauliflora | Brazilian grapetree |
| Myrtus communis | Common myrtle |
| Nandina domestica | Sacred bamboo |
| Nashia inaguensis | Bahama berry |
| Neea buxifolia | Saltwood |
| Olea europaea | European olive |
| Pinus clausa | Sand pine |
| Pinus mugo | Mugo pine
Mountain pine |
| Pinus parviflora | Japanese white pine |
| Pinus thunbergii | Japanese black pine |
| Pinus virginiana | Virginia pine |
| Pinus ponderosa | Western yellow pine |
| Plerandra elegantissima | False aralia |
| Podocarpus macrophyllus | Yew plum pine
Buddhist pine Fern pin |
| Polyscias fruticosa | Ming aralia |
| Portulacaria afra | Dwarf jade
Elephant food Elephant bush |
| Prunus serrulata | Japanese flowering cherry
Oriental cherry |
| Prunus mume | Flowering apricot |
| Punica granatum | Pomegranate |
| Rhaphiolepis indica | Indian Hawthorn |
| Rhododendron simsii | Sims’ rhododendron |
| Rhododendron indicum | |
| Rhododendron obtusum | |
| Robinia pseudoacacia | Black Locust |
| Sageretia theezans | Mock buckthorn
Chinese sweet plum |
| Schefflera actinophylla | Australian umbrella tree |
| Serissa foetida | Snow Rose, Japanese Boxthorn, Tree of a Thousand Stars |
| Syzygium australe | Brush cherry, Woolgoolga |
| Syzygium smithii | Brush cherry
Monkey apple |
| Taxodium ascendens | Pond cypress |
| Taxodium distichum | Baldcypress |
| Ulmus alata | Winged elm |
| Ulmus crassifolia | Cedar elm |
| Ulmus minor | Field elm |
| Ulmus parvifolia | Chinese elm |
| Wisteria floribunda | Japanese wisteria |
| Wisteria sinensis | Chinese wisteria |
| Zelkova serrata | Japanese zelkova |