Bonsai is not a scientific name for a plant, it is an art, that of growing and maintaining miniature plants, using cuttings and minimal water and fertilizer. This technique is attributed to the Japanese, but there is another technique originating in China, called penjing, which is similar to the art of bonsai but much older. Plants of this type can be classified according to certain criteria, such as height, number of trunks, trunk growth styles. The main trees that lend themselves to bonsai aesthetics are pine, elm, maple, Japanese wisteria, juniper, larch, Japanese apricot and Japanese cherry.