Difference between revisions of "Trachycarpus fortunei"

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|synonyms=''Chamaerops fortunei''<br>''Trachycarpus wagnerianus''<br>''Trachycarpus excelsus''
 
|synonyms=''Chamaerops fortunei''<br>''Trachycarpus wagnerianus''<br>''Trachycarpus excelsus''
 
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==Habitat and Distribution==
 
''Trachycarpus fortunei'' is Native to southern and central China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Fujian, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang), often in mountainous regions growing at altitudes of 100–2,400 m (328–7,874 ft), where the climate is cool and wet in summer, cold and often snowy in winter. [[Image:Trachywaggiekyle.jpg|thumb|left|350px|Specimen of 'Wagnerianus', Balboa Park, San Diego, CA.]]The exact natural distribution is uncertain due to extensive cultivation for fibre products; some sources suggest it may also be native in southern Japan but it is more likely introduced and naturalised there. Chinese fan palm is native to temperate and subtropical mountainous areas of Asia including southeastern China, Taiwan and the Chusan Islands. It is commonly grown as a landscape specimen in central and northern Florida, the southeastern U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, and in mild areas along the west coast. It has been sighted in northerly latitudes from Charlotte, North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia to Vancouver, British Columbia. This picture perfect hardy palm is an internationalist who decorates postcards from Lake Como in Italy, the southern coasts of the British Isles and the Crimean Peninsula. (floridata.com)
 
==Description==
 
Single-trunked, palmate palm to 10 m (rarely 13 m) tall. The trunk is 15 - 30 cm diameter, often with a slightly wider base, and usually remains covered in dense fibre from the leaf bases; rarely this is shed on very old specimens leaving the trunks smooth. Rounded crown of dark green leaves 1-2 m long, with 30-50 leaflets, these 60-80 cm long and 2.5-4 cm wide, arranged in a tight fan at the end of a 60-100 cm petiole. Unlike the closely related genus ''[[Chamaerops humilis|Chamaerops]]'', the leaf petioles are not spiny. The species is [[dioecious]], with separate male and female trees. The fruit is dark purple-blue when ripe, round, about 1 cm diameter, with a single seed. They are produced on densely branched panicles. Editing by edric.
 
  
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Grows to heights of 20-40 ft (6.1-12.2 m). Windmill palm has a rather slender single stem that is 8-10 in (20-25 cm) in diameter and is typically a bit narrower at the base than at the top. Trunks are usually covered with a loose mat of coarse gray or brown fiber. In older individuals the fiber sloughs away to reveal a smooth ringed surface. Chusan palm, as it is also commonly called, has light to dark green palmate leaves that are lighter, almost silvery (glaucous), on the underside. They are held on thin 3 ft (0.9 m) flattened stems that are finely toothed along both edges. Leaves are circular, about 3 ft (0.9 m) in diameter and segmented about halfway. They are flat with leaf segment tips held stiffly, but occasionally you will see individuals with droopy tips. Leaves are arranged into a symmetrical crown that is about 8-10 ft (2.5-3 m) wide. Specimens grown in full sun and/or under poor conditions may have much smaller, more compact crowns. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants; this palm is [[dioecious]]. They are densely arranged on 2-3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) long branched stalks called an inflorescence. The windmill palm's bright yellow inflorescence erupts from a packetlike bud in late winter and early spring and is held within the crown. On female plants the flowers are followed in late summer by round or oblong blue fruits that are about 1/2 in (1.3 cm) in diameter. (floridata.com)
 
 
Stems; Solitary, erect gray to brown stems, to 12 m tall, slender, to 30 cm in diameter, with matted brown fibers and remnant leaf bases. Leaves: Palmate, induplicate, with a nearly circular blade to 1 m across, divided almost to the base by lanceolate segments with sometimes stiff, sometimes drooping tips, bifid to 1 cm; with a petiole longer than the blade and its margin toothed, with obscure bumps or unarmed; the adaxial hastula is raised and triangular to circular. The upper leaf surface is dark green; the undersurface, silvery green. Flowers and fruits: Inflorescence to 50 cm, congested and densely branched to four orders. The yellow or whitish male and female flowers grow on separate plants. The fruits are 1-1.5 cm, kidney-shaped and purplish-black covered with a waxy blue bloom when ripe. (idtools.org)
 
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==Culture==
 
''Trachycarpus fortunei'' is notable as the hardiest large trunk-forming palm known, with established specimens tolerating winter temperatures below -20°C, and also tolerant of cool summer temperatures in oceanic climates such as Scotland and even the Faroe Islands at 62°N latitude, making it the northernmost palm outdoors anywhere in the world. Some planted in Plovdiv (Bulgaria) are known to have survived a temperature of -27.5°C, the coldest temperature reported to have been survived by any palm. It is tolerant of heavy snow cover.
 
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A semi-dwarf cultivar group 'Wagnerianus' has been selected in Japan; it differs in slower growth, with smaller leaves with stiffer leaflets 20-30 cm long, and a trunk just 15 cm diameter. Because of its small size, it is more tolerant of windy sites than normal plants. It has often been treated in popular literature as a separate species "''Trachycarpus wagnerianus''", but does not differ botanically from typical ''Trachycarpus fortunei.''
 
 
In a protected location, this windmill palm is considered to be winter hardy to USDA Zone 7. It is not reliably winter hardy in the St. Louis area where it may not survive harsh winters. It is typically grown in organically rich, moderately fertile, evenly moist but well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Best performance is in part shade. Site in protected locations that are sheltered from winter winds. Mature plants will usually survive 10 degree F. temperatures in winter (sometime colder). Of the arborescent (trunked) palms, windmill palm has the best winter hardiness. Of the non-arborescent (trunkless) palms, Rhapidophyllum hystrix and Sabal minor have slightly better winter hardiness. Plant crown may need protection (e.g. plastic sheet) when temperatures head toward single digits. Mulch around the base of the plant in winter. Plants may be propagated by seed, but male and female plants are required for seed production to occur. (missouribotanicalgarden.org)
 
 
Windmill palm does best in well drained soils with above average fertility but it will survive in almost anything except perpetually soggy conditions. It is moderately salt tolerant and can be planted behind the first line dunes or against a structure that will shield it from direct exposure to sea breezes. Light: Partial shade is best. Moisture: Adequate moisture makes for rapid growth and best appearance but it is amazingly drought tolerant as well (although plants will appear stunted and growth rate dramatically slowed if regular watering is withheld). Hardiness: USDA Zones 7B-10. This is a hardy palm and can withstand subfreezing temperatures. In its native habitat, this tough palm is sometimes subjected to a cover of snow and ice. Note that this plant should be planted in sheltered sites when grown in Zone 7. It is not recommended for South Florida. Propagation: Windmill palm seeds will germinate in 8 to 12 weeks without a lot of fuss. (floridata.com)
 
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==Comments and Curiosities==
 
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Etymology: Genus name is from Greek meaning rough (trachy) and fruit (carpus) in probable reference to fruit appearance. Specific epithet honors Robert Fortune (1812-1880), Scottish horticulturist.
 
 
Phenology: Flowers; June to July.
 
 
''Trachycarpus fortunei'' is by far the commonest species of ''Trachycarpus'' in cultivation, though other species are slowly becoming more widely available. It is also by far the commonest palm generally in cultivation in Europe. It is showing some signs of becoming an invasive weed in northern Italy.
 
 
Popular nicknames for the Chusan Palm include "Trachy" for the species, and "Waggie" for 'Wagnerianus'. It is also sometimes called Windmill Palm.
 
 
Windmill palm is native to subtropical and temperate mountain forests of China where it typically grows to 20-40’ (sometimes to 60’) tall with a solitary trunk densely covered with hair-like fibers from old leaf sheaths. From the top of the trunk, large palmate fan-shaped dark green leaves (to 3’ wide) push outward in all directions on 2-3’ long petioles in a form purportedly resembling a windmill. Leaves are segmented about half way, with the segment tips often drooping. In cultivation in cold winter areas of USDA Zones 6-7, windmill palm will typically grow at most to 8-10’ tall. For a palm, it has excellent winter hardiness. Attractive yellowish flowers in drooping panicles (to 2’ long) bloom in summer. Female flowers (plants are dioecious) give way to dark blue drupes. In China, fibers from the trunks of mature trees are stripped for weaving into a decorative hemp-like rope or for making brooms, mats or cloth. (missouribotanicalgarden.org)
 
 
History: The species was brought from Japan (Dejima) to Europe by the German physician Philipp Franz von Siebold in 1830. The common name refers to Chusan Island (now Zhoushan Island), where Robert Fortune first saw cultivated specimens of the species. In 1849, Fortune smuggled Windmill palm plants from China to the Kew Horticultural Gardens and the Royal garden of Prince Albert of England. The Windmill Palm was later named Trachycarpus fortunei, after him.
 
 
"Also commonly referred to as the Windmill Palm, since its stiff, perfectly symmetrical leaves often vibrate in the breeze, looking a bit like they're spinning. This is one of the most commonly planted palms in all over California, on up to Washington, and even some growing in Vancouver, Canada.
 
 
It forms a wonderfully 'hairy' fibrous trunk that is idea for planting bromeliads and tillandsias on (until the palms gets very tall). Once over about 20', the fibre starts to fall off exposing a trunk of only 4-6" in diameter. It is one of the faster growing palms in Southern California, though most would still consider it a slow growing plant.
 
 
As the name, Chinese Windmill Palm suggests, this is a native of China. It has been in cultivation as long if not longer than any other palm in the world. The more newly discovered palm, Trachycarpus takil, is a dead ringer for this one, only it is from India. There is a lot of debate about whether the two are really different species. T fortunei is a very variable tree from small and lithe, to monstrous.. and sometimes grows with a twisted hastula, the hallmark identifying morphological factor that sets T takil apart from this one... oops.. so far is appears most 'large' takils are really this species (or some hybrid thereof brought on by many generations of growing this palm throughout the world).
 
 
On the negative side, this palm is often planted along highway medians and malls and given little, if any, water. Without proper water and fertilization this palm can look horrible, and often does, giving it the common nickname amongst California palm growers: Trashycarpus. (Geoff Stein)
 
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Image:Chusan Palm in snow.jpg|Chusan Palm in snow, 55°N latitude, Northumberland, UK.
 
Image:Chusan Palm in snow.jpg|Chusan Palm in snow, 55°N latitude, Northumberland, UK.

Revision as of 11:28, 12 September 2018

Trachycarpus
(trahk-ee-KAHR-puhs)
fortunei (fohr-TOON-ee)
525100084fNHBQj ph-1-.jpg
Old specimens, Georgia, USA
Scientific Classification
Genus: Trachycarpus
(trahk-ee-KAHR-puhs)
Species:
fortunei (fohr-TOON-ee)
Synonyms
Chamaerops fortunei
Trachycarpus wagnerianus
Trachycarpus excelsus
Native Continent
Asia
Asia.gif
Morphology
Habit: solitary
Leaf type: palmate
Height: 10-13 m
Trunk diameter: 20-35 cm
Culture
Sun exposure: full or part sun
Survivability index
Common names
Chusan Palm, Windmill Palm, Chinese fan palm


External Links

References

Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric.

Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos.

Special thanks to Palmweb.org, Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos.

Glossary of Palm Terms; Based on the glossary in Dransfield, J., N.W. Uhl, C.B. Asmussen-Lange, W.J. Baker, M.M. Harley & C.E. Lewis. 2008. Genera Palmarum - Evolution and Classification of the Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. All images copyright of the artists and photographers (see images for credits).
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.

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