Palms   Trachycarpus takil

Common Names: Kumaon Palm General: Coming as it does from cool, moist oak forests in the Himalayas in Kumaon, northern India, to 2400m a.s.l., where the winters are bitterly cold and snow is common, this species is the hardiest of all Trachycarpus . In appearance, it is similar to T. fortunei but taller, more vigorous and larger in all its parts. Also, its fibres are thinner and shed readily, leaving a naturally bare trunk. Unfortunately there is still much confusion about the identity of this palm, as one of its relatives, T. wagnerianus , a species which is not known in the wild, with small, very stiff leaves, is commonly referred to as T. takil . The two have no connection. This is the "True Takil". Americans please note !!!

Figure 1. T. takil in the Rome Botanic Gardens. This is the oldest known plant in cultivation.

Figure 2. A young T. takil , showing the distinctive bent trunk
(the only species of Trachycarpus to get this). This disappears with age.

Contributed by:	Tobias Spanner & Martin Gibbons (Text)
	Angelo Porcelli (Figures 1&2)

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