As I've already reported to "Muggle," they're called "ming
trees." They've had a couple of waves of popularity -- back in
the early 1900s, and then again after WWII -- two periods when
the west was exposed to Japan and China.

They used to be common in Oriental antique shops (like Gumps -- a
WONDERFUL store if you have bottomless pockets), but I did a
search for them and found nothing on the web -- well one site,
but . . .

There is a lot of porcelain and pottery with ming-tree designs,
and even some furniture, but the trees themselves seem to have
lost favor. I seem to recall seeing them in a catalog somewhere,
though.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - "People,
when Columbus discovered this country, it was plum full of nuts
and berries. And I'm right here to tell you the berries are just
about all gone." -- Uncle Dave Macon, old-time musician


Hi, Muggle (Great Name!)

I bought one of these at Gump's in San Francisco almost 20
years ago. They
usually are jade or other semi-precios stones. Back then, a
tiny one was
around $50, and there were much larger and more complex trees
available.


My grandmother came back to the U.S. and had in her treasures
a little
bonsai
tree, with flowers, leaves, and fruit? of glass (looks like
jade, but
Im pretty sure its glass).

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