Trachycarpus fortunei

Chusan Palm

The most well known and common palm for the cooler climate. Incredibly resistant to cold and very distinctive with its,tall fibre coated trunk. This palm prefers cooler, temperate areas, and struggles in the tropics. It is not fussy, is easy to grow and adapts well to most situations, providing the soil is not prone to waterlogging. Initially quite slow,once it reaches trunking size growth is quite rapid, capable of growing up to 0.5 metre of trunk per year. Together with Trachycarpus wagnerianus this is the easiest and most trouble free palm suited to our climate. Protect if below -13°C More info..		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus fortunei 'Darjeeling'

Chusan Darjeeling Palm

Same as the common Chusan Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) but 'Darjeeling' form consists of seeds collected from North East India (Kalimpong) and the leaves look stiffer. In my opinion this palm has more compact leaves and all seedlings will take good frost as seeds are collected from same altitude. Protect if below -13°C		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus fortunei 'Double trunks'

Chusan Palm

Most common palm. Whilst this palms main claim to fame is its incredible resistance to cold it is also an attractive palm in its own right. 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. Together with the wagnerianus one of the most cold tolerant palms there is and as such excellently suited to our climate. Protect if below -13°C

Trachycarpus fortunei x wagnerianus

The female flower of the fortunei is pollinated with the male flower of the wagnerianus. This tree will have some of the characteristics of the wagnerianus and some of the fortunei. Hardiness is the same and leaves can be stiffer. Very interesting tree. We pollinate and harvest the seeds ourselves Protect if below -13°C More info..		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus geminisectus

Eight Peaks Fan Palm

A stranger in the Trachycarpus family due to it's leaves. They are large and flat leaves and have about 40 segments in groups of 2 or rarely 3 which give them a special appaerance. They are also very thick and leathery and display a deep, glossy dark green above and a stunning waxy white below. Habitat is North Vietnam and South China close to the border of Laos and Vietnam. Protect if below -13°C

Trachycarpus latisectus

Windamere Palm

Only recently described, Trachycarpus latisectus, the Windamere Palm, was previously known as T. 'sikkimensis'. 'Latisectus' refers to the broad leaflets, indeed one of the distinguishing characteristics of this palm, which are around 5cm wide, very glossy, and of which there are around 70 in total, forming a very large and leathery leaf. It has a bare trunk and its seeds resemble those of T. martianus. Remaining in the wild in just one tiny, heavily altered location in the Sikkim Himalayas in north-east India, which is immediately threatened by destruction, it has only recently been introduced into cultivation, but is about to make a huge impression in the palm world. As with other Trachycarpus, T. latisectus requires a rich, loamy but well drained soil. Young plants are best grown under some shade. Protect if below -7°C

Trachycarpus martianus

Khasia Hills Fan Palm

In our personal view, the form of T. martianus from the Khasia Hills, once known as Trachycarpus khasianus, is the most elegant species in the genus. Its slender, bare trunk supports a full but open crown of elegantly arching, very regular and much segmented, large fan leaves. It is quite fast and easy growing. Well suited to subtropical as well as temperate climates it will tolerate moderate frosts Protect if below -3°C

Trachycarpus martianus 'Nepal'

Martius Himalayan Fan Palm

Similar to the above, this form from the Himalayas in Nepal, has slightly smaller leaves with fewer segments and is more tolerant of frost and drought as it grows further north at higher altitudes. Equally fast and rewarding to grow. Protect if below -7°C		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus Naini Tal

Hailing from a town called Naini Tal,Khumoan, northern India, at altitudes of 2400m.This palm discovered in 1994 was thought to be Trachycarpus takil and wrongly named as such. All so called takils in cultivation are now understood to be Naini Tals. In appearance and genetically, 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. Everybody who grows this palm knows it is hardier and superior to regular Trachycarpus fortunei. Protect if below -13°C More info..

Trachycarpus nanus

Dragonhead Palm

The smallest member of the Trachycarpus genus and one of the most sought-after. This very adaptable and extremely cold hardy palm does not grow a trunk, or at least, only an underground or a shortly emergent one. From Yunnan, in western China, they are pretty palms, not unlike Chamaerops at first glance, and are often an attractive blueish colour. Protect if below -13°C		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus oreophilus

Thai Mountain Fan Palm

A recently described rare species from a single mountain range in northern Thailand, where it grows on exposed ridgetops and spectacular limestone cliffs at over 2000m and is regularly obscured by clouds and buffeted by wind. It has a bare trunk and an attractive small and compact crown of regularly split fan-shaped leaves. It is quite unlike any other Trachycarpus. Any plants larger than seedling size are as yet unknown in cultivation. Protect if below -7°C		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus princeps blue-silver

Stone Gate Palm

This rare palm is generally regarded as the `prince` amongst Trachycarpus hence the name Trachycarpus princeps. An incredibly beautiful Trachycarpus with a green leaf and stunning white back, having been discovered in the early 1990,s growing on sheer stone cliffs in the Stonegate Gorge, China. With much confusion about what is a real princeps, we always declare provenance. To clarify the confusion regarding the various forms, this is the Golden Lotus Nursery statement: ''-Collecting seeds at the Stone-gate is mostly a waste of time. -So, I get the T. princeps from another mountain-area. That's why my seedlings have a blue colour!!!! The T. princeps from The Stone Gate are green.`` Our plants are grown from Golden Lotus seed and have the bluer leaf colouration. Whilst this plant is generally recognised as the `real princeps` it may turn out to differ to the true Stonegate form. Protect if below -7°C More info..		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus sp. 'Manipur'

Saramati Palm

This exciting new Trachycarpus species was recently discovered growing at high altitudes on the Himalayan arch near to the border with Burma boundary in Manipur and Nagaland, India. Also known as Trachycarpus sp. Naga hills and Trachycarpus sp. ukrhulensis, it grows to heights of up to15 metre tall and with a straight, bare trunk. Extremely frost hardy, larger than Trachycarpus fortunei, and with impressive white undersides to the leaves, it looks set to be one of the best palms for the future. Protect if below -13°C More info..		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus sp. Mount Victoria

A recent discovery from Myanmar (Burmah). A very rare plant, but we have reason to believe they may be more widely distributed in south-west Myanmar. Protect if below -7°C

Trachycarpus sp. Nova

Green princeps

This palm was grown from seed thought to be Trachycarpus princeps, but turned out to be something completely different. Quite closely related to Trachycarpus fortunei it grows at incredible speed and is the worlds fastest growing Trachycarpus. The adult leaf seems to be soft and finely divided and as a young plant gives an impression of Trachycarpus martianus. Only time will tell, but we hope this palm will become a graceful slim trunked and fast growing Trachycarpus, hopefully with the grace of Trachycarpus martinaus and the hardiness of Trachycarpus fortunei. Protect if below -7°C More info..		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus takil

Ever since Martin Gibbons went to India in 1990 to rediscover Trachycarpus takil, this palm has been a major talking point, and not always for the right reasons! The rediscovery of Trachycarpus takil is well documented in both the International Palm Society journal and the European Palm Society journal, and many a palm enthusiast has enjoyed reading Martin Gibbons' account of how he went back to rediscover the palm. Unfortunately, since then, all seed that has come out of Khumoan through various Indian seed dealers has been harvested from mature Trachycarpus in Naini Tal, an old colonial hill town in the region. These Trachycarpus were very large and due to the locality were wrongly assumed to be Trachycarpus takil. This particular tree is much more closely related to Trachycarpus fortunei, has caused much confusion, and is worthy of an article in its own right due to its unique characteristics. After 17 years, there are still no decent photographs to prove the existence of Trachycarpus takil in the wild, and after several years of trying we finally found somebody willing and able to travel to some locations described by a Major Madden in 1847. Major Madden was an Army Colonel with an interest in botany who wrote about Trachycarpus populations in several locations at between 6,500 and 8,000 feet height in the Khumoan region whilst he was stationed there. The photos on this webpage were taken at precisely the locations Major Madden described some 160 years ago. It can clearly be seen by the shallow divisions on the leaf and lack of trunk fibre that this is the real Trachycarpus takil described and classified by Beccari in 1905, and it matches the Trachycarpus takil growing in the Rome Botanical Gardens. The fibre and leaf shape seem much more similar to Trachycarpus princeps, manipur and oreophilus, than to fortunei. This palm grows quite close to the permanent snowline and the locals confirmed they can experience several months of snow in winter at the higher elevations, so it promises to be one of the cold-hardiest palms in existence! The odd thing is that there appeared to be very few seeds set; none of the extensive range of photos show palms bearing healthy crops of seeds. It could be that they are eaten by animals or insects.The exception is a single palm leaning over the edge of a precipice, which would seem to bear out this theory. We do not have the benefit of having been there so can only publish photos taken on site, but the good news is that Martin Gibbons and Toby Spanner did revisit the area 2 years ago, and should be publishing a definitive and detailed report to finally put all the rumours to rest. Protect if below -13°C		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus wagnerianus

Miniature Chusan Palm

Absolutely the best palm for your garden. Superior in every way to Trachycarpus fortunei we believe this palm will one day replace the common fortunei as most popular palm. Our reasons for thinking this : - Very tolerant to extreme cold in combination with humidity - Small and stiff leaves, more suitable for small gardens - Due to the shape (bonsai like) an enormous customer appeal - In my experience no problems keeping this palm potted in winter close to a wall - Great tolerance of wind, the major enemy of T. fortunei - The perfect choice for coastal situations - Excellent root system and very tolerant of transplantation Otherwise very similar in cultural requirements to Trachycarpus fortunei. Protect if below -13°C More info..		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus wagnerianus rootball

Rootball plants (plants delivered with roots sealed in plastic instead of in pots) entails that you should allow your plants to develop roots for 6-8 weeks in the spring. But for this slight inconvenience you get a great price! Absolutely the best palm for your garden. Superior in every way to Trachycarpus fortunei we believe this palm will one day replace the common fortunei as most popular palm. Our reasons for thinking this : - Very tolerant to extreme cold in combination with humidity - Small and stiff leaves, more suitable for small gardens - Due to the shape (bonsai like) an enormous customer appeal - In my experience no problems keeping this palm potted in winter close to a wall - Great tolerance of wind, the major enemy of T. fortunei - The perfect choice for coastal situations - Excellent root system and very tolerant of transplantation Otherwise very similar in cultural requirements to Trachycarpus fortunei. Protect if below -13°C		Click to enlarge/more photos

Trachycarpus wagnerianus x fortunei

female flower wagnerianus with male flower fortune

The female flower of the wagnerianus is pollinated with the male flower of the fortunei. This tree will have some of characteristics of the wagnerianus and some of the fortunei. Hardiness is the same and leaves can be stiffer. Very interesting tree. We pollinate and harvest the seeds ourselves Protect if below -13°C		Click to enlarge/more photos