Take a look at Portulacaria Afra. Its a suculent, but you could manage to prune it like a tree. There are peple that shape it like a bonsai. There is also a variegated type that looks stunning
It can apparently grow into a small tree in the wild, but seems to be a slow grower in a pot and stays small on a table top. I’ve had one for maybe a couple of years and it didn’t really seem to grow much.
I’ve seen some kinds of small trees that are used for bonsai without the big bottom part but I’m not familiar with those. There’s also a type of dwarf maple that I’ve seen quite often but know nothing about. Maybe look up bonsai-related communities/websites!
Pilea peperomioides Could also be a great option. I really like mine, it’s lovely to watch it grow and sprout new leaves. It does need quite a bit of light, though.
Yeah, that’s the one. I don’t think they’re necessarily that big. But if conditions are right, they can become as big as the one in the picture, and a bit taller as well. Mine is definitely smaller (and has been for a while). So I guess it depends on how small you want it to stay.