I found this rather spectacular tree on Bonsai Nut. There was no caption but it's part of a discussion on Korean hornbeam ramification.
In these days of massive trunks and elaborate deadwood carving, it’s easy to overlook ramification. Even though good ramification is an essential mark of refinement. Especially on deciduous bonsai.
In botany, ramification is defined as: 1. a structure formed of branches, and 2. configuration of branching parts.
With bonsai, ramification is about branch development, starting with primary branches, then secondary, tertiary, quaternary and so forth, out to the finest twigs. Each level is thinner (and usually shorter) than the last, and when done well, the effect is of continuous taper from the base of the trunk all way out to the tip of each twig.
Another effect is a profusion of fine filagreed twigs at the outer reaches of the tree. This effect, which lends a sense of age and grandeur is most often found on deciduous trees, and is why they are often shown and photographed in the winter.
For more on ramification, especially the how-to part, here are some posts you might find useful.
The first thing you notice on most bonsai is the trunk. However, if you linger for a moment and follow he branching out from the trunk to the tips of the finest branches, you can see the importance of ramification. As an aside, you might notice how, with this tree, the first branch is less developed than the rest of the branches. This can be corrected overtime by allowing the branch in question to grow more freely than the other branches. Here's a pretty good explanation from a 2009 Bark post).
Ramification is highlighted by the reddish buds at the tips of the twigs. This reddish color is further highlighted by contrast with the blue (or blue-green) of the pots. You can find this tree and the other two shown here on Bonsai Nut. No artist(s) is listed.
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