Palms   Trachycarpus fortunei

Synonymy: T. wagnerianus Common Names: Chinese Windmill Palm Chusan Palm Distribution & Habitat: Mountainous regions of northern Myanmar to central China, often snow covered in winter. Description: A medium to large, lightly armed fan palm to about 10 m tall. It has dark green, unevenly divided leaves, split about half-way to the petiole. It isn't self cleaning, so the old, dead leaves can form a skirt around the top of the trunk General: Whilst this palms main claim to fame is its incredible resistance to cold (there are several photographs of this species covered in snow), it is also an attractive palm in its own right.

Figure 1. A very nice T. fortunei in Yorkshire, northern England, UK.

Culture:
This palm prefers cooler, temperate areas, and altho it will grow in the sub-tropics, it will struggle in the tropics. It likes full sun, and moist well drained soil. The seeds are easy to germinate, and the seedlings are quite quick growers. One of the most cold tolerant palms there is.

Figure 2. T. fortunei in the courtyard of a Roman villa,
Locarno, Nth. Italy.

Figure 3. A 4 headed T. fortunei in Kunming Botanical Gardens.

Contributed by:	Neil King (Figure 1)
	Rolf Kyburz, K-Palms (Figure 2)
	George Yao (Figure 3)

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