''Trachycarpus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of eleven species of palms native to

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, from the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

east to eastern China. They are fan palms (subfamily Coryphoideae), with the leaves with a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of numerous leaflets. The leaf bases produce persistent

fibres Fiber or fibre (from la, fibra, links=no) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often incorporate ...

that often give the trunk a characteristic hairy appearance. All species are dioecious, with male and female flowers produced on separate plants although female plants will sometimes produce male flowers, allowing occasional self-pollination.

Cultivation and uses

The most common species in cultivation is '' Trachycarpus fortunei'' (Chusan palm or windmill palm), which is the northernmost cultivated palm species in the world. Cities as far north as

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

have long term cultivated palms in several areas. The dwarf form popularly known as ''T. wagnerianus'' is unknown in the wild, and is now considered synonymous with ''T. fortunei'' Flora of China
''Trachycarpus fortunei''
/ref> or treated as a

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

of that species. It resembles ''T. fortunei'' closely, differing only in its smaller and stiffer leaves. Hybrids between the two are intermediate in size and fully fertile. '' Trachycarpus takil'' (the

Kumaon Kumaon or Kumaun may refer to: * Kumaon division, a region in Uttarakhand, India * Kumaon Kingdom, a former country in Uttarakhand, India * Kumaon, Iran, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran * , a ship of the Royal Indian Navy during WWII See also ...

palm) is similar to ''T. fortunei'' and probably even hardier. Other species less common in cultivation are ''T. geminisectus'', ''T. princeps'', ''T. latisectus'', ''T. martianus'', ''T. nanus'' and ''T. oreophilus''. ''Trachycarpus martianus'' and ''T. latisectus'' do not tolerate cold as well as ''T. fortunei'' or ''T. takil''. ''Trachycarpus geminisectus'', ''T. princeps'' and ''T. oreophilus'' are still too rare and small in cultivation to assess their full potential. Two additional species have been described recently: ''Trachycarpus'' ''ukhrulensis'' from

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...

and ''T. ravenii'' from Laos; the former is known from cultivation as ''Trachycarpus'' sp. "Manipur" or ''Trachycarpus'' sp. "Naga Hills". The trunk fibres produced by the leaf sheaths of ''Trachycarpus fortunei'' are harvested in China and elsewhere to make coarse but very strong

rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similar ...

, brooms and brushes. This use gives rise to the old alternative name "hemp-palm". The fibrous leaf sheaths are also frequently used to clothe the stems of artificial palms. This genus is very popular among palm enthusiasts for its ability to withstand cold, especially in the form of damp, cool summer weather with relatively mild winter weather. These palms often tolerate snow in their native habitats and are the hardiest trunking palms. ''Trachycarpus'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of some Lepidoptera species including '' Paysandisia archon'' (recorded on ''T. fortunei'').

Species

References

Bibliography

*Beccari, O. (1931). Asiatic Palms - Corypheae (ed. U. Martelli). ''Ann. Roy. Bot. Gard''. (Calcutta) 13: 1-356. *Kimnach, M. (1977). The Species of Trachycarpus. ''Principes'' 21: 155-160. *Meerow, A. W. (2005). Betrock's Cold Hardy Palms. Betrock Information Systems, Inc., Hollywood, Florida.

External links

WCSP, World checklist of Palms: ''Trachycarpus''Flora of China: ''Trachycarpus'' species listFlora of Nepal: ''Trachycarpus'' species listPACSOA: ''Trachycarpus''
fro
Palm & Cycad Societies of Florida
{{Taxonbar, from=Q157364 Arecaceae genera Dioecious plants