Trachycarpus

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Trachycarpus
TrachycarpusFortunei.jpg
Trachycarpus fortunei in China
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Subfamily: Coryphoideae
Tribe: Trachycarpeae
Genus: Trachycarpus
H.Wendl. [1]
Species

Trachycarpus fortunei
Trachycarpus geminisectus
Trachycarpus latisectus
Trachycarpus martianus
Trachycarpus nanus
Trachycarpus oreophilus
Trachycarpus princeps
Trachycarpus ravenii
Trachycarpus takil
Trachycarpus ukhrulensis

Contents

Trachycarpus is a genus of eleven species of palms native to Asia, from the Himalaya 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 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

Stem of Trachycarpus fortunei showing leaf base fibres Arecaceae-zhejiang2005.JPG
Stem of Trachycarpus fortunei showing leaf base fibres
Mature Trachycarpus fortunei in Solomons, Maryland Palmtree solomons.jpg
Mature Trachycarpus fortunei in Solomons, Maryland

The most common species in cultivation is Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan palm or windmill palm), which is the northernmost naturally-growing palm species in the world. Cities as far north as London, Dublin, Paris, Seattle and Vancouver have long term cultivated palms in several areas. The dwarf form, known as T. wagnerianus, is unknown in the wild, and is now considered synonymous with T. fortunei [2] [3] [4] or treated as a cultivar of that species. [5] 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 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: Trachycarpusukhrulensis from Manipur [6] and T. ravenii from Laos; [7] the former is known from cultivation as Trachycarpus sp. "Manipur" or Trachycarpus sp. "Naga Hills". [4]

The trunk fibres produced by the leaf sheaths of Trachycarpus fortunei are harvested in China and elsewhere to make coarse but very strong rope, brooms and brushes. [2] 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.[ citation needed ]

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 larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Paysandisia archon (recorded on T. fortunei).

Species

ImageScientific nameHeightDistribution
Trachycarpus fortunei-IMG 9402.jpg Trachycarpus fortunei 10–13 metres (33–43 ft)China, Japan, Myanmar and India.
Trachycarpus geminisectus 1–2 metres (3.3–6.6 ft)China, Vietnam
Trachycarpus latisectus 12 metres (39 ft)Sikkim
Trachycarpus martianus - San Francisco Botanical Garden - DSC09964.JPG Trachycarpus martianus Assam, China South-Central, East Himalaya, Myanmar, Nepal.
Trachycarpus nanus Plant, Dusseldorf, Germany.jpg Trachycarpus nanus 0.9 metres (3.0 ft)China.
Trachycarpus oreophilus - Val Rahmeh - DSC04398.JPG Trachycarpus oreophilus 9 metres (30 ft)Northwest Thailand, the other[ clarification needed ] in Manipur in northeastern India
Trachycarpus princeps.jpg Trachycarpus princeps 9 metres (30 ft)Yunnan in southern central China
Trachycarpus ravenii 6 metres (20 ft)Laos
Takil Rom.jpg Trachycarpus takil 10–15 metres (33–49 ft)Northwestern India, and into adjacent western Nepal
Trachycarpus ukhrulensis 15 metres (49 ft)Manipur region in Assam, India.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arecaceae</span> Family of food and ornamental plants

The Arecaceae is a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees. Currently, 181 genera with around 2,600 species are known, most of which are restricted to tropical and subtropical climates. Most palms are distinguished by their large, compound, evergreen leaves, known as fronds, arranged at the top of an unbranched stem, except for the Hyphaene genus, who has branched palms. However, palms exhibit an enormous diversity in physical characteristics and inhabit nearly every type of habitat within their range, from rainforests to deserts.

<i>Howea</i> Genus of palms

Howea is a genus of two palms, H. belmoreana and H. forsteriana, both endemic to Lord Howe Island, Australia. H. forsteriana in particular is commonly grown as an indoor plant in the Northern Hemisphere, and the two species form the mainstay of the island's palm seed industry and more importantly its trade in newly germinated seedlings. The palms are also cultivated on Norfolk Island, where seeds are produced for export.

<i>Trachycarpus fortunei</i> Species of palm

Trachycarpus fortunei, the Chinese windmill palm, windmill palm or Chusan palm, is a species of hardy evergreen palm tree in the family Arecaceae, native to parts of China, Japan, Myanmar and India.

<i>Sabal minor</i> Species of palm

Sabal minor, commonly known as the dwarf palmetto, is a small species of palm. It is native to the deep southeastern and south-central United States and northeastern Mexico. It is naturally found in a diversity of habitats, including maritime forests, swamps, floodplains, and occasionally on drier sites. It is often found growing in calcareous marl soil. Sabal minor is one of the most frost and cold tolerant among North American palms.

<i>Chamaerops</i> Genus of palms

Chamaerops is a genus of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae. It contains only one species, Chamaerops humilis, variously called European fan palm or the Mediterranean dwarf palm. It is one of the most cold-hardy palms and is used in landscaping in temperate climates.

<i>Trachycarpus takil</i> Species of palm

Trachycarpus takil, the Kumaon palm, is a fan palm tree that is endemic to the foothills of the Himalaya in southern Asia. It is very similar to Trachycarpus fortunei, the Windmill palm.

<i>Trachycarpus fortunei</i> Wagnerianus Palm cultivar

Trachycarpus fortunei 'Wagnerianus' is unknown in the wild, but may have originated in cultivation in Japan, where it was first discovered by the horticulturalist Albert Wagner of Leipzig, Germany in the second half of the 19th century. Wagner made several collecting trips to Japan and China in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century He had a flourishing business growing palms in his steam-heated greenhouses in northern Germany. It has remained in comparative obscurity until recently, when its qualities as a garden plant were at last realized.

Chelyocarpus dianeurus is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. The palm tree is endemic to Colombia. It is found in the Pacific lowlands of the country, occurring on well-drained soils. It is a single-stemmed (trunked) palm. Leaf sheath fibre is used locally for pillow stuffing.

<i>Trithrinax</i> Genus of palms

Trithrinax is a genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Coryphoideae of the family Arecaceae. The name is derived from ancient Greek, where tri means three, and thrinax trident. It was named in 1837 by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, a German botanist and explorer.

<i>Trachycarpus martianus</i> Species of palm

Trachycarpus martianus is a tree in the family Arecaceae. There are two distinct populations: one at 1,500 m (5,000 ft) in the Khasia Hills of Meghalaya state, in northeast India, the other at 2,400 m (8,000 ft) in central northern Nepal. Other populations have been reported in Assam, Sikkim, Burma and southern China. The main identifying characteristics are the regular leaf splits, the coffee bean shaped seeds and the bare, as opposed to fibrous trunk. The new leaf spear and edges of the petioles are covered with a white tomentum.

<i>Trachycarpus princeps</i> Species of palm

Trachycarpus princeps is a species of palm endemic to Yunnan in southern central China. It grows on limestone cliffs and ridge tops in monsoonal rain forest in the Salween River valley at elevations of 1,500–1,900 metres (4,900–6,200 ft). The epithet is Latin for "prince" and alludes to "the stately bearing of this palm and the majestic way it looks down from its lofty position on the sheer cliff faces". The species was described in 1995 by Gibbons, Spanner & Chen.

Roystonea princeps, commonly known as Morass cabbage palm or Morass royal palm, is a species of palm which is endemic to western Jamaica.

Roystonea maisiana is a species of palm which is endemic to the Maisí region of Guantánamo Province in eastern Cuba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coryphoideae</span> Subfamily of palms

The Coryphoideae is one of five subfamilies in the palm family, Arecaceae. It contains all of the genera with palmate leaves, excepting Mauritia, Mauritiella and Lepidocaryum, all of subfamily Calamoideae, tribe Lepidocaryeae, subtribe Mauritiinae. However, all Coryphoid palm leaves have induplicate (V-shaped) leaf folds, while Calamoid palms have reduplicate leaf folds. Pinnate leaves do occur in Coryphoideae, in Phoenix, Arenga, Wallichia and bipinnate in Caryota.

<i>Butia yatay</i> Species of palm

Butia yatay, the jelly palm or yatay palm, is a Butia palm native to southern Brazil, Uruguay and northern Argentina. It is known as the butiá-jataí in Portuguese in the south of Brazil, as well as simply jataí or butiá. It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental in Europe and the United States. It is the tallest of all the species in the genus Butia. The fruit is edible with a sweet flavour.

Trachycarpus oreophilus, also known as Thai mountain fan palm, is a plant species in the genus Trachycarpus. It is known from two distinct populations, one in northwest Thailand, the other in Manipur in northeastern India. The Manipur population was formerly considered a separate species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borasseae</span> Tribe of palms

Borasseae is a tribe in the palm subfamily Coryphoideae. The tribe ranges from southern Africa and Madagascar north through the Arabian Peninsula to India, Indochina, Indonesia and New Guinea. Several genera are restricted to islands in the Indian Ocean. The two largest genera, Hyphaene and Borassus, are also the most widespread.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuniophoeniceae</span> Tribe of palms

Chuniophoeniceae is a tribe of palms in subfamily Coryphoideae of plant family Arecaceae. The four genera within the tribe are morphologically dissimilar and do not have overlapping distributions. Three of the genera are monotypic, while the fourth genus (Chuniophoenix) has three species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trachycarpeae</span> Tribe of palms

Trachycarpeae is a tribe of palms in subfamily Coryphoideae of the plant family Arecaceae. It has the widest distribution of any tribe in Coryphoideae and is found on all continents, though the greatest concentration of species is in Southeast Asia. Trachycarpeae includes palms from both tropical and subtropical zones; the northernmost naturally-occurring palm is a member of this tribe. Several genera can be found in cultivation in temperate areas, for example species of Trachycarpus, Chamaerops, Rhapidophyllum and Washingtonia.

References

  1. H.A. Wendland in J. Gay, Bulletin de la Société Botanique de France 8:429. 1863(?) ("1861")
  2. 1 2 Flora of China: Trachycarpus fortunei
  3. "Trachycarpus fortunei". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  4. 1 2 Gibbons, Martyn; Spanner, Toby (2013). "Trachycarpus in the Wild and in Cultivation" (PDF). The Plantsman. New Series. 12: 100–105.
  5. Riffle, Robert Lee; Craft, Paul; Zona, Scott (2012). The Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms - Second Edition. Portland, OR: Timber Press. ISBN   9781604692051.
  6. Lorek, Michael; Pradhan, Keshow Chandra (2006). "A new species of Trachycarpus (Arecaceae), with remarks on its unusual habitat". Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie. 126 (4): 419–426.
  7. Averyanov, Leonid V.; Nguyen, Khang Sinh; Nguyen, Tien Hiep; Pham, The Van; Lorphengsy, Shengvilai (2014-10-01). "Trachycarpus ravenii sp. nov. (Arecaceae, Corypheae) from central Laos". Nordic Journal of Botany. 32 (5): 563–568. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.2013.00304.x. ISSN   1756-1051.

Bibliography