Common Name: Operculicarya and Chinese pepper tree

Scientific Name: Operculicarya Decaryi

Characterisation: Originally from Madagascar, it belongs to the Rutaceae family.
It is a medium-sized tree with deciduous, compound, bright green leaves that give off a citrus scent when pruned.
It is also called Zantoxilium and it flowers with male and female plants without easy gender dimorphism. It’s rare for a Bonsai to bear fruit, but to achieve this you have to have one plant of each.

Location: It can live outdoors all year round and is deciduous. If grown indoors, it will probably want to renew its leaves in mid-summer. It shouldn’t be too sheltered in air-conditioned environments and wants plenty of sun, at least 2 to 3 hours a day (ideally at the beginning or end of the day), rotate the tree 180º every week.

Watering: Water the soil abundantly until enough water comes out of the drainage holes to evenly moisten the soil, always from above (never by immersion), using a watering can with very fine drains (specific for Bonsai).
Allow the top layer of soil to dry out between each watering (to check if the plant needs water, touch the soil with your fingers).
It tends to suffer from root rot with too much water/lack of light, especially after heavy pruning, at which point we should moderate the watering until it starts to sprout again.
If you have a dish under the Bonsai, never leave any water in it (to prevent the roots from rotting).
There is no advantage in spraying the leaves, only do it on days when you fertilise and if the fertiliser is specifically for foliar application, but make sure they get dry at night to avoid fungus.