Scientific Name : Trachycarpus fortunei (Hook.) H. Wendl.
Common Name : Windmill Palm
Chinese Name : 棕櫚
Family : ARECACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
| Origin | South-Central China and Myanmar. |
|---|---|
| Vitality | Windmill Palm covets nutritious and moist soils. Despite its demanding for water, it still prefers well-drained soils and is susceptible to waterlogging that can cause root rotting. Windmill Palm is appreciated for its resilience to cold, windy, drought and air-polluted environments. |
| Application |
Windmill Palm is broadly cultivated in parks and gardens in view of its handsome shaggy stem. It can be either planted in solitary or mixed with other greening components to draw an exquisite landscape. The palm also serves multiple uses other than ornamental function. The trunk is durable and highly resistant to moisture, hence always processed into pavilions and other constructions. The fibres clustered at the leaf bases are firm and moisture-hardy; they are raw materials for cordage, baskets and fishing nets. The lower part of petioles after removing fibres and drying can be applied as the traditional Chinese medicine, known as Zonglu. The medicine containing abundant essential oils is effective in attenuating hypertension and preventing stroke. |
| Meaning of names | The generic name Trachycarpus is a blend of Greek words trachys and karpos, collectively meaning ‘rough fruit’. The specific epithet fortunei is named after Robert Fortune (1812-1880), an eminent Scottish botanist who sent the first sample of this species to Kew Garden. The leaves are windmill-like arranged at the apex of stem, hence named as ‘Windmill Palm’. |
| Growing habit | Main stem solitary palm. |
|---|---|
| Height | To 12 m tall. |
| Stem | Trunk dark brown, covered with persistent old petiole bases, fibrous. |
| Leaves | Blade fan-shaped, palmately and deeply 30-50 lobed, linear, induplicate, apex shallowly 2-lobed, drooping. Petioles sharply dentate. |
| Flowers | Usually dioecious. Spikes stiff, 2 or multi-branched, flowers 2-4 clustered, rarely solitary, inflorescence enclosed in multi-spathes before blooming. Flowers small, male flowers yellowish green, female flowers pale green. |
| Fruits | Drupes spherical to long elliptic, turning yellowish green to blue when ripe. |
| Flowering period | April in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting period | December in Hong Kong. |
Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website: https://herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=3183
Scientific names from other databases:
― Flora of China : Trachycarpus fortunei (Hook.) H. Wendl.
― Plant of the World Online : Trachycarpus fortunei (Hook.) H. Wendl.