The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum has just declassified its latest tree: a buttonwood, or Conocarpus erectus.
Chelsea Robinson, a spokeswoman for the Central Intelligence Agency, alerted National Bonsai Foundation Executive Director Johann Klodzen that the CIA had obtained a bonsai tree and wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. The tree in the agency’s possession was the buttonwood, which is approximately 150 years old.
But how did such a historic tree end up in the hands of one of the nation’s top security departments?
The buttonwood was first collected from the Florida Everglades about 30 years ago, changed owners multiple times and ended up in the hands of Bjorn Bjorholm, a bonsai professional. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) had asked Bjorholm to purchase trees for them to give as gifts to various recipients, including the buttonwood for the CIA. The UAE presented the tree to the CIA in August, in "recognition of our countries' strong and historic partnership."
Dr. Richard Olsen, the U.S. National Arboretum's director, immediately accepted the buttonwood from the CIA on behalf of the Museum. Museum curator Michael James and gardener Erin Holden drove to the CIA under strict security to pick up the Museum’s newest addition.
The buttonwood currently sits in the “growout” area, a place for trees that are not currently on display, until the tree recovers from its travels.
Museum curator Michael James said volunteers placed the tree into partial shade to help the tree adjust from living in a dark office at the CIA for nearly two weeks. James said they regularly watered the buttonwood for about a week and evaluated how quickly the soil dried before the next watering.
“At that point the foliage condition was good, so we moved the tree into full sun and fertilized it,” he said. “Now the buttonwood is pushing out new growth, but not uniformly over the entire foliage canopy.”
James said volunteers are taking note of the tree’s weak and strong areas and cut off longer shoots to redirect energy to weaker branches.
“When the strength of the growth is balanced over the canopy, the tree will be wired to shape the canopy in a way that is complementary to the twisted trunk that has lived through a hurricane or two,” he said.
Gina Haspel, the director of the CIA, sent a letter thanking the Museum for ensuring the tree remained healthy and cared for before its transfer to the Museum.
“While the CIA has many talented officers, we are not skilled in the art of bonsai maintenance, and so we are incredibly grateful that the tree will be preserved in the Museum’s celebrated collection and that it is in such expert hands,” Haspel said.
Read more about this unique acquisition of this tree in this article by Washington Post columnist, John Kelly.