Winning Year: 2024;
Provenance: Brazil;
Container: Ceramic Pot;
Style: Multi Trunk (Kabudachi).

Hailing from South America, André Luiz Pecin made history at BonsaiX 2024 as the tournament’s fourth-edition champion and its very first South American winner. His winning entry—a Caliandra spinosa native to his home region—stands as a masterclass in rapid, precise cultivation. Collected merely two years prior to the competition, the tree defies typical timelines, displaying a maturity and refined structure that usually requires decades of painstaking training. Anchored in a thoughtfully chosen ceramic pot, its dramatic, slanted multi-trunk composition captures the rugged, wind-swept energy of its natural origin while maintaining an unmistakable air of elegant equilibrium.

The design relies on a striking interplay of balance and movement, with dynamic trunks reaching outward at expressive angles before grounding into a cohesive, lush canopy. The Caliandra‘s fine, delicate foliage creates a soft, clouds-of-green silhouette that beautifully contrasts the weathered texture and sharp movement of its woody stems. It was precisely this harmony of wild South American character and refined bonsai craftsmanship that captivated both the judging panel and the public audience. Pecin’s creation didn’t just win a title; it proved that deep horticultural intuition and respect for native species can produce an award-winning masterpiece in record time.