Botany Quiz: What does the term 'bonsai' mean?

I took a guess! Seemed obvious, but then Dave often has some tricky polls that are not as obvious as they seem!

I got it right, but only because I have seen things as bonsai for sale that weren't trees.

I should have known better than to click on minature tree. lol

Little trees in pots.

Foiled again!

Arrrrrgggggg!

I got it right for the same reason as Al.

Here is the Bonsai site. I found it because I got the answer wrong, but was convinced I was right. I was wrong. lol

Good site though

http://www.bonsaisite.com/

Jason

I didn't vote because I didn't know the answer. Normally I would know a piece of bonsai but as far as defining it, it is beyond me. Had a "bonsaid" tree a long time ago and it eventually died because it needed so much more attention than I was willing to give it.

Ann

I think that it is a tree or tree like plant planted in a shallow pan or dish.

Oh well!

I had no clue and guessed - poorly. LOL :-)

I was really tricked by this question-.!!!

Guess I was trying to make things too complicated-thinking along the Feng Shui(sp?) lines- with the earth, wood and water. DUH

When will I learn to just keep it simple?

Ahh well.....bring on the next question! :-)

I still don't know if I was right....bonsai also means miniature trees AND shrubs....so what is the right answer...

The "official" answer is shown just below the results ;o)

While trimming his fancy bonsai,
A gardener heaved a hugh sigh:
"No matter how much
I snip or retouch,
One branch is askew or awry!"

The Japanese word bonsai does mean 'plant in a tray', so the answer given is linguistically correct, even if modern popular English usage typically only uses the term for miniature trees

Resin

The Word bonsai is actually latin word which make with tow words i.e, bon mean ''tray'' and sai mean ''tree''.
Yasir

Great poem, DonShirer!

Okay, we watched the Japanese version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. When the Knights that Say Ni asked for a shrubbery, the English subtitle translation read bonsai. That's why I guessed small tree.

I would have gone for plant in a tray. But then..... I thought about how they are always displaying gazing stones or rocks in the Bonsai Gardens so I decided on the Quietude or meditation. You have tricky questions makes one think about what they really know.

Bonsai, I'm working on one that I received from my son. Wish me luck!!!

I actually thought it was the process that makes the little dwarf, instead of the plant itself.
I even looked at my scrabble dictionary and it says--a potted shrub that has been dwarfed.
I thought it was the actual trimming and pruning that was the bonsai
Learn something new each day.
Sandra

Renwings: You were watching the Japanese version of Holy Grail? ? ? :)

I got it wrong, but could never come up with a better reason than yours! LOL

Deb

Gosh and all this time I though BONSAI!!!!!!!!!!!! was 5 year old speak for - "I'm doing an elbow drop on your back mom!!!!" LOL!!

Nicole

LOL..love it!

Interesting, Bonsaiwiki defines the term as a small tree in pot and the word as growing in tray. I thought the qualifier was "term" vs "word".

I like that poem Don Shirer posted - sometimes I think my hairdresser has that problem when I go in for a cut! Also like the elbow drop to the back answer.....my next dog I'm going to name Bonsai - it's fun to say - loudly.

At least I was as wrong as the majority.....I thought it was mini tree too.

According to my dictionary (Websters) and the Encyclopaedia Britannica ,it is the art of creating a dwarf tree or shrub ,as Sicdms wrote - the word tray is not mentioned , except to say that the container is part of the overall visual effect .
Emelle

I knew because it was one of the trivia questions on Smart Gardening on PBS tonight.

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery ;o)

Truth be told I was inspired by another site, which posed this question as a daily quiz for its visitors. But before I added it, I made significant modifications to the incorrect answers.

I only got it right because I saw a program not long ago on bonsai

P

Well, I KNEW little tree wasn't right, and it had to be a trick, but I figured looking it up would be cheating to make myself look good. Wrong again.

LOL!! I guessed....wrongly, of course.
I only knew that in this case the first half of the word (bon) did *not* mean good!

Hahahaha, I was wrong too! :)

Hey, I actually got one right! The reason I chose a plant in a tray was because I had taken a little tour of the bonsai forum along time ago and was suprised to see a variety of plants that were being pruned.

Sheesh, I was way off! LOL!! Good quiz Terry!

Harper

You all will forgive me if I don't speak the same language as you do. I've been using the wrong dictionary all of these years.

freetwofarm