Who said bonsai weren't trees?

Iris Cohen schreef
Pieter, but I set him straight. There are a great many misconceptions
about bonsai. They aren't tortured either. In order to be successful, a
bonsai has to be very healthy.

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By most definitions bonsai are not trees.
It is irrelevant whether they will grow out to become trees (when released
from their torturer / benefactor). A seedling may grow out to be a tree but
is not itself a tree.

There is a word to describe bonsai, i.e. "bonsai" (sometimes missspelled
"banzai"). This is not a taxonomic term.
PvR