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Trachycarpus fortunei

Common name:	Chusan Palm	Family:	Palmae
Author:	(Hook.)H.Wendl.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:	Trachycarpus excelsus (Hort.), Chamaerops fortunei (Hook.), Chamaerops excelsus (Mart. non Thunb.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - C. and E. China.
Habitat:	Montane oak forests to 2400 metres[200].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Chamaerops excelsa[E,G,H] Rhapis excelsa[G] Rhapis flabelliformis[G] T. excelsa[E,H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Hemp Palm [H], Tsung Lu [E], Windmill Palm [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	trachycarpus = rough seeded
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Arecales. Renamed to Arecaceae -- Palm family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen tree growing to 12m by 2m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from August to September. The scented flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Flowers.

Young flower buds - cooked[2, 105, 178]. Used like bamboo shoots[183]. The fresh flowers and terminal bud are also apparently consumed[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Astringent Contraceptive Haemostatic.

The flowers and the seed are astringent and haemostatic[147, 218].
The root or the fruit is decocted as a contraceptive[147, 218].
The ashes from the silky hairs of the plant are haemostatic[147, 218]. Mixed with boiling water they are used in the treatment of haemopytsis, nose bleeds, haematemesis, blood in stools, metrorrhagia, gonorrhoea and other venereal diseases[147].

Other Uses

Fibre Weaving.

The fibres cloaking the trunk are used to make ropes and cloth[11, 46, 61]. The fibres from within the leafstalk are used for making brushes, ropes, coarse cloth etc[231].
A matting is made from the bark admixed with some of the stem fibres[178].
The leaves are woven into hats, rough coats and fans[46, 61, 178].

Cultivation details

Requires a rich moist but well-drained soil in a sunny sheltered position[188, 231], especially from the cold drying winds of the north and east[11]. Individual leaves live for about 3 years and, if they are damaged by wind will make the plant look very shabby as well as reducing its potential for photosynthesis[231].
This species is generally hardy in the southern and western part of Britain. When mature, plants have been known to survive occasional temperatures as low as -18° c[11, 231, 260] though younger plants are more tender and can be damaged by temperatures down to about -8° c, especially if the plant is not sheltered from cold winds[200, 260].Very young plants should be given some protection during their first winter or two outdoors[11] .
A fairly slow-growing plant, though it self-sows in S.W. England[11].
Widely cultivated throughout China, Japan and S.E. Asia for the fibres within the leaf stalk[231].
Palms usually have deep penetrating root systems and generally establish best when planted out at a young stage. However, older plants are substantially more cold tolerant than juvenile plants[231]. In areas at the limit of their cold tolerance, therefore, it is prudent to grow the plants in containers for some years, giving them winter protection, and only planting them into their permanent positions when sheer size dictates[231]. Palms can also be transplanted even when very large. Although the thick fleshy roots are easily damaged and/or desiccated, new roots are generally freely produced. It is important to stake the plant very firmly to prevent rock, and also to give it plenty of water until re-established - removing many of the leaves can also help[231].
The flowers are sweetly scented[231].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Scarify or pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water then sow in a cold frame in mid to late winter. Bring into the greenhouse about 4 - 6 weeks later and the seed should germinate in about 4 - 8 weeks at 25° c[133]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving the plants some protection from the cold for at least their first winter outdoors.
Pot up suckers in late spring and plant out in their permanent position 12 months later.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are sweetly scented.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Chamaerops excelsa (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Rhapis excelsa (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Trachycarpus excelsa (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[133] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. 1987
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[231] McMillan-Browse. P. Palms for Cooler Climates. Trebah Enterprises. 1993 ISBN 0 9521952 0 8
An excellent little booklet on the subject, though it does not mention many plant uses.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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