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{{Short description|Species of palm}}
{{Speciesbox
{{Speciesbox
|image = TrachycarpusFortunei.jpg
|image = TrachycarpusFortunei.jpg
|image_caption =
|image_caption =
⚫
|image2 = Arecaceae-zhejiang2005-1.JPG
|image2_alt = Fruit
|genus = Trachycarpus
|genus = Trachycarpus
|species = fortunei
|species = fortunei
Line 10: Line 13:
<!--* ''T. caespitosus'' [[Odoardo Beccari|Becc.]] -->
<!--* ''T. caespitosus'' [[Odoardo Beccari|Becc.]] -->
* ''T. wagnerianus'' hort. ex [[Odoardo Beccari|Becc.]]
* ''T. wagnerianus'' hort. ex [[Odoardo Beccari|Becc.]]
|synonyms_ref = <ref name=usda>{{GRIN | accessdate = 17 December 2017}}</ref>
|synonyms_ref = <ref name=usda>{{GRIN | access-date = 17 December 2017}}</ref>
}}
}}


'''''Trachycarpus fortunei''''', the '''Chinese windmill palm''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=TRFO3|taxon=Trachycarpus fortunei|accessdate=14 December 2015}}</ref> '''windmill palm''' or '''Chusan palm''', is a [[species]] of [[hardiness (plants)|hardy]] [[evergreen]] palm tree in the [[family (botany)|family]] Arecaceae, [[native plant|native]] to parts of China, Japan, Myanmar and India.
'''''Trachycarpus fortunei''''', known in English as '''Chusan palm'''<ref name="bean4">Bean, W. J. (1980). ''Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles'', 8th ed., vol. 4. John Murray. {{ISBN|0-7195-2428-8}}.</ref><ref name="rhs">{{cite web |title=RHS Plant Selector – ''Trachycarpus fortunei'' |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/18291/Trachycarpus-fortunei/Details |access-date=5 March 2021 |publisher=RHS}}</ref> and in American as '''Chinese windmill palm''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=TRFO3|taxon=Trachycarpus fortunei|access-date=14 December 2015}}</ref> is a [[species]] of [[hardiness (plants)|hardy]] [[evergreen]] palm tree in the [[family (botany)|family]] Arecaceae, [[native plant|native]] to parts of China, Japan, Myanmar and India.


==Description==
==Description==
⚫
Growing to {{convert|12-20|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall, ''Trachycarpus fortunei'' is a single-stemmed [[fan palm]]. The diameter of the trunk is up to {{convert|15-30|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}. Its texture is very rough, with the persistent leaf bases clasping the stem as layers of coarse dark grey-brown fibrous material. The [[leaf|leaves]] have long [[Petiole (botany)|petiole]]s which are bare except for two rows of small spines, terminating in a rounded fan of numerous leaflets. Each leaf is {{convert|140|–|190|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} long, with the petiole {{convert|60|–|100|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} long, and the leaflets up to {{convert|90|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} long. It is a somewhat variable plant, especially as regards its general appearance; and some specimens are to be seen with leaf segments having straight and others having drooping tips.<ref name="Huxley-Griffiths-1992">{{cite book | last1=Huxley | first1=Anthony | last2=Griffiths | first2=Mark | title=Dictionary of Gardening | publisher=[[Royal Horticultural Society]] ([[Macmillan Press]]) | publication-place=[[London]] | date=1992 | isbn=978-0-333-47494-5 | oclc=25202760}} 3: 443–448, 4: 491.</ref>
⚫
[[File:Arecaceae-zhejiang2005-1.JPG|thumb|Fruit]]
⚫
Growing to {{convert|12-20|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall, ''Trachycarpus fortunei'' is a single stemmed [[fan palm]]. The diameter of the trunk is up to {{convert|15-30|cm|in|0|abbr=on}}. Its texture is very rough, with the persistent leaf bases clasping the stem as layers of coarse fibrous material. The [[leaf|leaves]] have long [[Petiole (botany)|petiole]]s which are bare except for two rows of small spines, terminating in a rounded fan of numerous leaflets. Each leaf is {{convert|140|–|190|cm|abbr=on}} long, with the petiole {{convert|60|–|100|cm|abbr=on}} long, and the leaflets up to {{convert|90|cm|abbr=on}} long. It is a somewhat variable plant, especially as regards its general appearance; and some specimens are to be seen with leaf segments having straight and others having drooping tips.<ref name=foc/><ref name=rhs>Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening'' 3: 443–448, 4: 491. Macmillan {{ISBN|0-333-47494-5}}.</ref>


The flowers are yellow (male) and greenish (female), about {{convert|2-4|mm|in|abbr=on}} across, borne in large branched panicles up to {{convert|1|m|abbr=on}} long in spring; it is [[plant sexuality|dioecious]], with male and female flowers produced on separate trees. The [[fruit]] is a yellow to blue-black, reniform (kidney-shaped) [[drupe]] {{convert|10-12|mm|in|abbr=on}} long, ripening in mid-autumn.<ref name=foc/><ref name=rhs/>
The flowers are yellow (male) and greenish (female), about {{convert|2-4|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on}} across, borne in large branched panicles up to {{convert|1|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long in spring; it is [[dioecy|dioecious]], with male and female flowers produced on separate trees. The [[fruit]] is a yellow to blue-black, reniform (kidney-shaped) [[drupe]] {{convert|10-12|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on}} long, ripening in mid-autumn.<ref name=foc/><ref name=rhs/>

Occasionally a male plant of ''T.&nbsp;fortunei'', besides the usual spadices, produces a few other spadices carrying really hermaphroditic flowers. Completely fertile, these are almost exactly like the male flowers, but are a little larger and with the carpels well evolute, the latter about as long as the filaments, furnished with a ring of silvery hairs all round.{{citation needed|date=December 2011}}


==Distribution and habitat==
==Distribution and habitat==
This plant has been cultivated in China and Japan for thousands of years. This makes tracking its natural range difficult. It is believed to originate in central China (Hubei southwards), southern Japan (Kyushu), south to northern Myanmar and northern India, growing at altitudes of {{convert|100|-|2400|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=usda/><ref name=foc>{{cite journal|publisher=[[Flora of China (series)|Flora of China]]|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200027121|title=''Trachycarpus fortunei''|volume=23|page=145}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=National Institute for Environmental Studies - ''Trachycarpus fortunei''|url=https://www.nies.go.jp/biodiversity/invasive/DB/detail/80780e.html|accessdate=7 October 2015}}</ref><ref name=kew>WCSP, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: [http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/synonomy.do?name_id=207159 ''Trachycarpus fortunei'']</ref>
This plant has been cultivated in China and Japan for thousands of years. This makes tracking its natural range difficult. It is believed to originate in central China ([[Hubei]] southwards), southern Japan ([[Kyushu]]), south to northern [[Myanmar]] and [[northern India]], growing at altitudes of {{convert|100|-|2400|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=usda/><ref name=foc>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=[[Flora of China (series)|Flora of China]] |entry-url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200027121 |entry=Trachycarpus fortunei |volume=23 |page=145}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=National Institute for Environmental Studies – ''Trachycarpus fortunei'' |url=https://www.nies.go.jp/biodiversity/invasive/DB/detail/80780e.html |access-date=7 October 2015}}</ref><ref name=kew>WCSP, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: [http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/synonomy.do?name_id=207159 ''Trachycarpus fortunei'']</ref>


Windmill palm is one of the [[hardy palms|hardiest palms]]. It tolerates cool, moist summers as well as cold winters, as it grows at much higher altitudes than other species, up to {{convert|2400|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in the mountains of southern China. However, it is not the northernmost naturally occurring palm in the world, as European fan palm (''[[Chamaerops humilis]]'') grows further north in the Mediterranean.<ref name=rhs/>
''Trachycarpus fortunei'' is one of the [[hardy palms|hardiest palms]]. It tolerates cool, moist summers as well as cold winters, as it grows at much higher altitudes than other species, up to {{convert|2400|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in the mountains of southern China.<ref name=foc/> However, it is not the northernmost naturally occurring palm in the world, as European fan palm (''[[Chamaerops humilis]]'') grows further north in the Mediterranean.<ref name=rhs/>


==Uses==
==Uses==
Line 32: Line 32:


===Cultivation===
===Cultivation===
⚫
''Trachycarpus fortunei'' is cultivated as a trunking palm in gardens and parks throughout the world in warm temperate and subtropical climates. Its tolerance of cool summers and cold winters makes it valued by palm enthusiasts, landscape designers and gardeners. It is grown successfully in cool climates such as the UK, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, western Poland as well as southern and western Germany. In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's [[Award of Garden Merit]].<ref name="rhs"/><ref>{{cite web |date=July 2017 |title=AGM Plants – Ornamental |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf |access-date=24 December 2018 |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |page=103}}</ref>
[[File:WindMillsPalms.png|thumb|The approximate range of cultivation in the US with little to no winter protection]]
⚫
''Trachycarpus fortunei'' is cultivated as a trunking palm in gardens and parks throughout the world in warm temperate and subtropical climates. Its tolerance of cool summers and cold winters makes it highly valued by palm enthusiasts, landscape designers and gardeners. It is grown successfully in cool climates such as the UK, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, western Poland and southern Germany. In the UK it has gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]].<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - ''Trachycarpus fortunei''|url=http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=1941|accessdate=6 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 103 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | accessdate = 24 December 2018}}</ref>


Due to its widespread use as an ornamental plant, the palm has become [[naturalisation (biology)|naturalised]] in southern regions of Switzerland, and has become an invasive species of concern.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Tonelotto M, Fehr V, Conedera M, etal |title=Iconic but Invasive: The Public Perception of the Chinese Windmill Palm (''Trachycarpus fortunei'') in Switzerland |journal=Environmental Management |date=2022 |volume=70 |issue=4 |pages=618–632 |doi=10.1007/s00267-022-01646-3 |pmid=35474487 |pmc=9439986 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
In North America, mature specimens can be found growing in the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest, the upper southern states, and Mid-Atlantic states.


In North America, mature specimens can be found growing in the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest, the upper southern states, and Mid-Atlantic states. Lower tolerance limits of {{convert|-15|to|-20|C|F}} are commonly cited for mature plants.<ref name="bean4"/> Young plants are less hardy, and can be damaged by only {{convert|-8|C|F}}. Individuals of the cultivar ''T. f.'' '{{visible anchor|Nainital}}' have lived outside in the northern [[Connecticut]] town of Woodbury.<ref>{{cite web |title=View Tree Data – Connecticut's Notable Trees |url=http://oak.conncoll.edu:8080/notabletrees/ViewTreeData.jsp?selected=226222}}</ref> continuously since the early 2000s with protection, where some winters have reached {{convert|-21|C|F}}.{{cn|date=May 2022}} ''et al.'', 2016 found one healthy specimen in [[Plovdiv, Bulgaria]], which has survived a low temperature of -27.5&nbsp;°C.<ref name="c729">{{cite web | last=Donov | first=Kiril | title=Trachycarpus 'Plovdiv' | website=The Polar Palms of Bulgaria | date=1993-01-06 | url=http://www.polarpalm.net/en/plov.html | language=bg | access-date=2024-11-01}}</ref><ref name="Petrova-Vladimirov-2018">{{cite journal | first1=Ana | last1=Petrova | first2=Vladimir | last2=Vladimirov | title=Recent progress in floristic and taxonomic studies in Bulgaria | date=2018-02-15 | doi=10.5281/zenodo.1173552 | journal=[[Botanica Serbica]] | volume=42 | pages=35–69 | issue=1}}</ref><ref name="Sokolov-et-al-2016">{{cite journal | last1=Sokolov | first1=Rosen S. | last2=Shalamanov | first2=Stanimir | last3=Marinov | first3=Vladimir | title=Species composition and self-reproduction ability of trees and shrubs in Plovdiv Municipality | journal=[[Phytologia Balcanica]] | s2cid=89760908 | volume=22 | issue=2 | pages=193–203}}</ref>
Commonly lower tolerance limits of {{convert|-15|to|-20|C|F}} are cited for mature plants.<ref name=bean4>Bean, W. J. (1980). ''Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles'' 8th ed., vol. 4. John Murray {{ISBN|0-7195-2428-8}}.</ref> Young plants are less hardy, and can be damaged by only {{convert|-8|C|F}}.


The [[cultivar group]] [[Trachycarpus fortunei 'Wagnerianus'|''Trachycarpus fortunei'' 'Wagnerianus']] is a small-leafed semi-dwarf variant of the species selected in cultivation in China and Japan. It differs in rarely growing to more than {{convert|5|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall, with leaflets less than {{cvt|45|cm|in}} long; the short stature and small leaves give it greater tolerance of wind exposure.<ref name=rhs/> It has often been treated as a separate species ''T. wagnerianus'' in popular works, but is now included within ''T. fortunei''.<ref name=usda/><ref name=foc/><ref name=kew/>
The cultivar group [[Trachycarpus fortunei 'Wagnerianus'|''Trachycarpus fortunei'' 'Wagnerianus']] is a small-leafed semi-dwarf variant of the species selected in cultivation in China and Japan. It differs in rarely growing to more than {{convert|5|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} tall, with leaflets less than {{cvt|45|cm|ftin}} long; the short stature and small leaves give it greater tolerance of wind exposure.<ref name=rhs/> It has often been treated as a separate species ''T. wagnerianus'' in popular works, but is now included within ''T. fortunei''.<ref name=kew/><ref name=foc/><ref name=usda/>


=== As food ===
Individuals belonging to a similar species, ''[[Trachycarpus takil]]'', have survived a very harsh winter spell in [[Plovdiv]].<ref>Polar Palms: [http://www.polarpalm.net/en/plov.html The Polar Palms of Bulgaria]</ref> and those sold as T. Takil but instead were Trachycarpus Nainital have lived continuously outside since the early 2000s in Woodbury, Connecticut, which is zone 6a, where some winters have reached -15 F. <ref> http://oak.conncoll.edu:8080/notabletrees/ViewTreeData.jsp?selected=226222</ref>
The young flower buds are cooked and eaten in a variety of ways.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stuart |first=G. A. |title=Chinese materia medica Pt. 1 Vegetable kingdom |publisher= |year= |isbn=0879684690 |pages=102}}</ref>


==Nomenclature==
==Nomenclature==
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. In 1849, Fortune smuggled plants from China to the Kew Horticultural Gardens and the Royal garden of [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]] of England.<ref>[https://www.tytyga.com/Windmill-Palm-Trees-Tropical-Accent-Plants-Cold-Hardy-for-Northern-United-States-and-Canadian-Gardens-a/444.htm Windmill Palm Trees- Tropical Accent Plants- Cold Hardy for Northern United States and Canadian Gardens<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It was later named ''Trachycarpus fortunei'', after him. It was first described by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius in 1850 in his ''Historia Naturalis Palmarum'' but under the illegitimate name of ''Chamaerops excelsa''.
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. In 1849, Fortune smuggled plants from China to the Kew Horticultural Gardens and the Royal garden of [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]] of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Windmill Palm Trees – Tropical Accent Plants – Cold Hardy for Northern United States and Canadian Gardens |url=https://www.tytyga.com/Windmill-Palm-Trees-Tropical-Accent-Plants-Cold-Hardy-for-Northern-United-States-and-Canadian-Gardens-a/444.htm |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=www.tytyga.com}}</ref> It was later named ''Trachycarpus fortunei'', after him. It was first described by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius in 1850 in his ''Historia Naturalis Palmarum'' but under the illegitimate name of ''Chamaerops excelsa''.


The names ''Chamaerops excelsus'' and ''Trachycarpus excelsus'' have occasionally been misapplied to ''Trachycarpus fortunei''; these are correctly synonyms of ''[[Rhapis excelsa]]'', with the confusion arising due to a misunderstanding of Japanese vernacular names.<ref name=bean4/>
The names ''Chamaerops excelsus'' and ''Trachycarpus excelsus'' have occasionally been misapplied to ''Trachycarpus fortunei''; these are correctly synonyms of ''[[Rhapis excelsa]]'', with the confusion arising due to a misunderstanding of Japanese vernacular names.<ref name=bean4/>

{{commons category|Trachycarpus fortunei}}


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Hardy palms]]
*[[Hardy palms]]


==Gallery==
==Gallery ==
<gallery>
<gallery>
Vancouver palms englishbay.jpg|Specimens at [[English Bay (Vancouver)]], Canada
Vancouver palms englishbay.jpg|alt=Specimens at English Bay, Vancouver, Canada|In [[English Bay (Vancouver)|English Bay]], Vancouver, Canada
Palmtree solomons.jpg|Mature plant in Solomons Island along the coast of [[Maryland]], USA
Palmtree solomons.jpg|alt=Mature plant in Solomons Island along the coast of Maryland, USA|In [[Solomons Island]], Maryland, US
Palmen Duesseldorf 083.jpg|Plant in [[Düsseldorf]], Germany
Palmen Duesseldorf 083.jpg|alt=Plant in Düsseldorf, Germany|In [[Düsseldorf]], Germany
Arecaceae-zhejiang2005-2.JPG|Leaf detail
Arecaceae-zhejiang2005-2.JPG|alt=Fanned leaves of T. fortunei|In [[Zhuji]], China
Snow on Trachycarpus fortunei.JPG|Tree after a light fall of snow ([[Northern Ireland]], UK)
Snow on Trachycarpus fortunei.JPG|alt=Tree after a light fall of snow (Northern Ireland, UK)|In [[Northern Ireland]]
Airandspace trachycarpus.jpg|Specimen in [[Washington, D.C.]], USA
Airandspace trachycarpus.jpg|alt=Specimen at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., USA|In [[Washington, D.C.]], US

</gallery>
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

⚫
*Beccari, Odoardo: 1905 "Le Palme del Genere Trachycarpus", ''Webbia''; I
==Further reading==
⚫
*Beccari, Odoardo: 1905 "Le Palme del Genere ''Trachycarpus''", ''Webbia''; I
*Beccari, Odoardo: 1920 "Recens Palme Vecchio Mondo", ''Webbia''; V
*Beccari, Odoardo: 1920 "Recens Palme Vecchio Mondo", ''Webbia''; V
*Beccari, Odoardo: 1931 "Asiatic Palms, Corypheae", ''Annals of the Royal Bot. Gard. Calcutta''; 13
*Beccari, Odoardo: 1931 "Asiatic Palms, Corypheae", ''Annals of the Royal Bot. Gard. Calcutta''; 13
*Martius, Carl Friedrich Philipp von: 1850 ''Historia Naturalis Palmarum'', Band 3
*Martius, Carl Friedrich Philipp von: 1850 ''Historia Naturalis Palmarum'', Band 3
*Stührk, Chris: 2006 "Molekularsystematische Studien in der Subtribus Thrinacinae, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Gattung Trachycarpus H. Wendl". (Arecaceae)
*Stührk, Chris: 2006 "Molekularsystematische Studien in der Subtribus Thrinacinae, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Gattung ''Trachycarpus'' H. Wendl". (Arecaceae)
*{{Commons category-inline}}
* http://oak.conncoll.edu:8080/notabletrees/ViewTreeData.jsp?selected=226222


{{Taxonbar|from=Q158383}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q158383}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Trachycarpus|fortunei]]
[[Category:Trachycarpus|fortunei]]

Latest revision as of 09:07, 26 November 2024

Trachycarpus fortunei
Fruit
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Tribe: Trachycarpeae
Genus: Trachycarpus
Species:
T. fortunei
Binomial name
Trachycarpus fortunei
Synonyms[1]
  • Chamaerops excelsa hort.
  • Chamaerops fortunei Hook.
  • T. wagnerianus hort. ex Becc.

Trachycarpus fortunei, known in English as Chusan palm[2][3] and in American as Chinese windmill palm,[4] is a species of hardy evergreen palm tree in the family Arecaceae, native to parts of China, Japan, Myanmar and India.

Description

[edit]

Growing to 12–20 m (39–66 ft) tall, Trachycarpus fortunei is a single-stemmed fan palm. The diameter of the trunk is up to 15–30 cm (6–12 in). Its texture is very rough, with the persistent leaf bases clasping the stem as layers of coarse dark grey-brown fibrous material. The leaves have long petioles which are bare except for two rows of small spines, terminating in a rounded fan of numerous leaflets. Each leaf is 140–190 cm (4 ft 7 in – 6 ft 3 in) long, with the petiole 60–100 cm (2 ft 0 in – 3 ft 3 in) long, and the leaflets up to 90 cm (2 ft 11 in) long. It is a somewhat variable plant, especially as regards its general appearance; and some specimens are to be seen with leaf segments having straight and others having drooping tips.[5]

The flowers are yellow (male) and greenish (female), about 2–4 mm (3⁄32–5⁄32 in) across, borne in large branched panicles up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long in spring; it is dioecious, with male and female flowers produced on separate trees. The fruit is a yellow to blue-black, reniform (kidney-shaped) drupe 10–12 mm (13⁄32–15⁄32 in) long, ripening in mid-autumn.[6][3]

Distribution and habitat

[edit]

This plant has been cultivated in China and Japan for thousands of years. This makes tracking its natural range difficult. It is believed to originate in central China (Hubei southwards), southern Japan (Kyushu), south to northern Myanmar and northern India, growing at altitudes of 100–2,400 m (328–7,874 ft).[1][6][7][8]

Trachycarpus fortunei is one of the hardiest palms. It tolerates cool, moist summers as well as cold winters, as it grows at much higher altitudes than other species, up to 2,400 m (7,874 ft) in the mountains of southern China.[6] However, it is not the northernmost naturally occurring palm in the world, as European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) grows further north in the Mediterranean.[3]

Uses

[edit]

Trachycarpus fortunei has been cultivated in China and Japan for thousands of years, for its coarse but very strong leaf sheath fibre, used for making rope, sacks, and other coarse cloth where great strength is important. The extent of this cultivation means that the exact natural range of the species is uncertain.[6][3]

Cultivation

[edit]

Trachycarpus fortunei is cultivated as a trunking palm in gardens and parks throughout the world in warm temperate and subtropical climates. Its tolerance of cool summers and cold winters makes it valued by palm enthusiasts, landscape designers and gardeners. It is grown successfully in cool climates such as the UK, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, western Poland as well as southern and western Germany. In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[3][9]

Due to its widespread use as an ornamental plant, the palm has become naturalised in southern regions of Switzerland, and has become an invasive species of concern.[10]

In North America, mature specimens can be found growing in the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest, the upper southern states, and Mid-Atlantic states. Lower tolerance limits of −15 to −20 °C (5 to −4 °F) are commonly cited for mature plants.[2] Young plants are less hardy, and can be damaged by only −8 °C (18 °F). Individuals of the cultivar T. f. 'Nainital' have lived outside in the northern Connecticut town of Woodbury.[11] continuously since the early 2000s with protection, where some winters have reached −21 °C (−6 °F).[citation needed] et al., 2016 found one healthy specimen in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, which has survived a low temperature of -27.5 °C.[12][13][14]

The cultivar group Trachycarpus fortunei 'Wagnerianus' is a small-leafed semi-dwarf variant of the species selected in cultivation in China and Japan. It differs in rarely growing to more than 5 m (16 ft) tall, with leaflets less than 45 cm (1 ft 6 in) long; the short stature and small leaves give it greater tolerance of wind exposure.[3] It has often been treated as a separate species T. wagnerianus in popular works, but is now included within T. fortunei.[8][6][1]

As food

[edit]

The young flower buds are cooked and eaten in a variety of ways.[15]

Nomenclature

[edit]

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. In 1849, Fortune smuggled plants from China to the Kew Horticultural Gardens and the Royal garden of Prince Albert of the United Kingdom.[16] It was later named Trachycarpus fortunei, after him. It was first described by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius in 1850 in his Historia Naturalis Palmarum but under the illegitimate name of Chamaerops excelsa.

The names Chamaerops excelsus and Trachycarpus excelsus have occasionally been misapplied to Trachycarpus fortunei; these are correctly synonyms of Rhapis excelsa, with the confusion arising due to a misunderstanding of Japanese vernacular names.[2]

See also

[edit]
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Trachycarpus fortunei". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Bean, W. J. (1980). Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles, 8th ed., vol. 4. John Murray. ISBN 0-7195-2428-8.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "RHS Plant Selector – Trachycarpus fortunei". RHS. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  4. ^ NRCS. "Trachycarpus fortunei". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  5. ^ Huxley, Anthony; Griffiths, Mark (1992). Dictionary of Gardening. London: Royal Horticultural Society (Macmillan Press). ISBN 978-0-333-47494-5. OCLC 25202760. 3: 443–448, 4: 491.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Trachycarpus fortunei". Flora of China. Vol. 23. p. 145.
  7. ^ "National Institute for Environmental Studies – Trachycarpus fortunei". Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  8. ^ a b WCSP, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Trachycarpus fortunei
  9. ^ "AGM Plants – Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 103. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  10. ^ Tonelotto M, Fehr V, Conedera M, et al. (2022). "Iconic but Invasive: The Public Perception of the Chinese Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) in Switzerland". Environmental Management. 70 (4): 618–632. doi:10.1007/s00267-022-01646-3. PMC 9439986. PMID 35474487.
  11. ^ "View Tree Data – Connecticut's Notable Trees".
  12. ^ Donov, Kiril (1993-01-06). "Trachycarpus 'Plovdiv'". The Polar Palms of Bulgaria (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  13. ^ Petrova, Ana; Vladimirov, Vladimir (2018-02-15). "Recent progress in floristic and taxonomic studies in Bulgaria". Botanica Serbica. 42 (1): 35–69. doi:10.5281/zenodo.1173552.
  14. ^ Sokolov, Rosen S.; Shalamanov, Stanimir; Marinov, Vladimir. "Species composition and self-reproduction ability of trees and shrubs in Plovdiv Municipality". Phytologia Balcanica. 22 (2): 193–203. S2CID 89760908.
  15. ^ Stuart, G. A. Chinese materia medica Pt. 1 Vegetable kingdom. p. 102. ISBN 0879684690.
  16. ^ "Windmill Palm Trees – Tropical Accent Plants – Cold Hardy for Northern United States and Canadian Gardens". www.tytyga.com. Retrieved 2024-03-06.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Beccari, Odoardo: 1905 "Le Palme del Genere Trachycarpus", Webbia; I
  • Beccari, Odoardo: 1920 "Recens Palme Vecchio Mondo", Webbia; V
  • Beccari, Odoardo: 1931 "Asiatic Palms, Corypheae", Annals of the Royal Bot. Gard. Calcutta; 13
  • Martius, Carl Friedrich Philipp von: 1850 Historia Naturalis Palmarum, Band 3
  • Stührk, Chris: 2006 "Molekularsystematische Studien in der Subtribus Thrinacinae, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Gattung Trachycarpus H. Wendl". (Arecaceae)
  • Media related to Trachycarpus fortunei at Wikimedia Commons
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