A bonsai is not a genetically dwarfed plant. It is any tree or shrub species actively growing but kept small through a combination of pot confinement, and crown and root pruning.

Bonsai (Japanese: 盆栽, literally "tray gardening") is the art of aesthetic miniaturisation of trees and plants in containers. While mostly associated with the Japanese form, "bonsai" is both derived from, and a form of Chinese penjing. In Western culture, the word "bonsai" is used as an umbrella term for Japanese bonsai, Chinese penjing, and Korean bunjae.