Trachycarpus fortunei seed
LATIN NAME: Trachycarpus fortunei
COMMON NAME: Windmill Palm
The windmill palm is the tough, hardy, fan-leaved palm of the temperate gardens, and it has been grown in the cool, damp gardens of the east for a very long time. The single trunk is covered with the dark, fibrous, hairy old leaf-bases, and the large, round, fan-shaped leaves spread from the top in a fine, bold crown. It is one of the hardiest of the palms, standing up well to the cold and the shade, and it gives a fine, tropical look to the cool garden. It is a generous, easy palm of the sheltered, well-drained spot.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The windmill palm has a steady place in the plant science, and it has been studied for a long time as one of the hardiest of the fan palms. The ability of the palm to stand up to the cold and the shade has been looked at closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the hardy palms and the temperate garden plants. The dark, fibrous trunk and the leaves have a long record of use in the east, and the plant is a regular subject of the studies of the palm fibre and the hardy ornamental palms. The growing methods are well tested and reliable.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The windmill palm is grown for the fine, bold, tropical look it gives to the cool garden. The large, fan-shaped leaves and the fibrous trunk make it a striking specimen or a fine group planting, and it is one of the hardiest of the palms for the temperate garden. The dark fibre of the trunk has a long history of use for the brushes, the mats and the cordage in the east, and the young flower buds and the leaf bases have their uses. It has been written up in the horticultural papers for its toughness and its tropical look, and it is a generous, easy palm of the sheltered, well-drained spot.
The windmill palm comes from the cool, damp valleys and the mountain forests of the east, where it grows in the shade of the taller trees and stands up well to the cold. The large, round, fan-shaped leaves spread from the top of the fibrous trunk in a fine, bold crown, and the plant gives a fine, tropical look to the cool garden. The dark fibre of the trunk has a long history of use for the brushes, the mats and the cordage, and the plant is one of the hardiest of the palms for the temperate garden. It is a slow but steady grower, and a well-sited specimen will reward the patience for a very long time.
To grow the windmill palm from seed, keep the round, brown seeds in warm water overnight to soften them, then sow them about two centimetres deep in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep them in a warm, bright, sheltered spot and water gently. The seedlings come up slowly and unevenly, so be patient with them, and grow them on in the pots for a season or two before setting them out. A sheltered, well-drained spot with the light shade will see the fine, bold fan of the leaves in a few years.
trachycarpus fortunei
common name: Chinese Windmill Palm,Chusan Palm
Trachycarpus fortunei, the Chinese Windmill Palm is one of the most cold hardy palms available. It is beautifully compact and grows to heights of 20-40ft. This palm has a rather slender single stem that is 8-10 inch 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 3ft flattened stems that are finely toothed along both edges. Leaves are circular, about 3 ft in diameter and segmented about halfway. Leaves are arranged into a symmetrical crown that is about 8-10ft wide. Specimens grown in full sun and/or under poor conditions may have much smaller, more compact crowns.