Trachycarpus fortunei
(Hook. f.) H. A. Wendl.
Chinese Windmill palm, Fortune's chusan-palm
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(c) Alexander Rumpel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Alexander Rumpel
Summary
Source: WikipediaTrachycarpus fortunei, also known as the Chusan palm, Chinese windmill palm, hemp palm, or simply windmill palm, is a species of hardy evergreen palm tree in the family Arecaceae, native to parts of China, Japan, Myanmar and India.
Description
A fan palm. It has a slender trunk. It grows 9-15 m tall and spreads 2.5-3 m wide. The leaves are fan shaped. The leaves are mid green and 1 m long by 1 m wide. They are pleated and split at the ends. This gives a jagged tooth-like appearance. The leaf stalks are sharply toothed and 1 m long. These arch out from the top of an upright stem. The trunk is covered with the remains of the dead leaves. Male and female flowers are on separate trees. The flowers are small and yellow. They occur in large dense clusters that can be 60 cm long. The fruit are small and blue-black and date-like. They are 1 cm long and kidney shaped.
Edible Uses
Young flower buds are cooked and used much like bamboo shoots. The fresh flowers and terminal bud are also apparently consumed.
Traditional Uses
The flowers are edible. The young flower buds are eaten like bamboo shoots. They are also marinated in honey and vinegar. The terminal bud is eaten. A tea drink made from the seeds is used to make blood pressure normal.
Medicinal Uses
The flowers and seed are astringent and haemostatic. The root or fruit is decocted for use as a contraceptive. Ashes from the plant's silky hairs are also haemostatic — mixed with boiling water, they are used to treat haemoptysis, nosebleeds, haematemesis, blood in stools, metrorrhagia, gonorrhoea, and other venereal diseases.
Distribution
It is a warm temperate plant. It is native to C. & S. China. It can tolerate cold. They can tolerate temperatures as low as -15°C. It is very difficult to grow in the tropics. It suits hardiness zones 8-11. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens. Melbourne Botanical Gardens. In Yunnan.
Where It Grows
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bhutan, Britain, China*, Europe, Germany, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan*, Mediterranean, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, SE Asia, Slovenia, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, Vietnam,
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate easily. Plants grow alone rarely produce seed.
Propagation
Scarify or pre-soak seed for 24 hours in warm water, then sow in a cold frame in mid to late winter. Move into the greenhouse about 4–6 weeks later; seed should germinate in roughly 4–8 weeks at 25°C. Prick seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle, and grow on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out into permanent positions in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts, and consider providing cold protection during their first winter outdoors. Pot up suckers in late spring and plant out into permanent positions 12 months later.
Other Uses
The fibres cloaking the trunk are used to make ropes and cloth, while fibres from within the leafstalk are used for brushes, ropes, and coarse cloth. A matting is made from the bark mixed with some stem fibres. The leaves are woven into hats, rough coats, and fans.
Notes
There are 6-8 Trachycarpus species.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Chusan Palm, Palem kincir angin, Visoka žumara
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