| Trachycarpus fortunei | |
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Scientific 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] | |
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Trachycarpus fortunei, also known as theChusan palm,[2][3]Chinese windmill palm,[4] or simply theWindmill palm,[5] is aspecies ofhardyevergreen palm tree in thefamilyArecaceae,native to parts ofChina,Japan,Myanmar, andIndia.
Growing to 12–20 ft (4–6 m) tall,Trachycarpus fortunei is a single-stemmedfan palm. The diameter of the trunk is up to 15–30 in (38–76 cm). Its texture is very rough, with the persistent leaf bases clasping the stem as layers of coarse dark grey-brown fibrous material. Theleaves have longpetioles 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.[6]
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 isdioecious, with male and female flowers produced on separate trees. Thefruit is a yellow to blue-black, reniform (kidney-shaped)drupe10–12 mm (13⁄32–15⁄32 in) long, ripening in mid-autumn.[7][3]
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 northernMyanmar andnorthern India, growing at altitudes of 100–2,400 m (328–7,874 ft).[1][7][8][9]
Trachycarpus fortunei is one of thehardiest 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.[7] 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]
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.[7][3]
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, coastal Poland as well as southern and western Germany. In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[3][10]
Due to its widespread use as an ornamental plant, the palm has becomenaturalised in southern regions of Switzerland, and has become an invasive species of concern.[11]
In North America, mature specimens can be found growing in the coastal areas of thePacific Northwest, theUpper South, andMid-Atlantic states. They can found growing along the West Coast fromCalifornia north to coastal southwesternBritish Columbia, and along the East Coast fromnorthern Florida to coastalConnecticut. 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). Lowest cold tolerance of well documented specimans include inPlovdiv, Bulgaria, which has survived a low temperature of -27.5 °C.[12][13][14]
The cultivar groupTrachycarpus 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 speciesT. wagnerianus in popular works, but is now included withinT. fortunei.[9][7][1]
The young flower buds are cooked and eaten in a variety of ways.[15]
The species was brought from Japan (Dejima) to Europe by the German physicianPhilipp Franz von Siebold in 1830. The common name refers to Chusan Island (nowZhoushan Island), whereRobert Fortune first saw cultivated specimens. In 1849, Fortune smuggled plants from China to the Kew Horticultural Gardens and the Royal garden ofPrince Albert of the United Kingdom.[16] It was later namedTrachycarpus fortunei, after him. It was first described by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius in 1850 in hisHistoria Naturalis Palmarum but under the illegitimate name ofChamaerops excelsa.
The namesChamaerops excelsus andTrachycarpus excelsus have occasionally been misapplied toTrachycarpus fortunei; these are correctly synonyms ofRhapis excelsa, with the confusion arising due to a misunderstanding of Japanese vernacular names.[2]
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