Trachycarpus fortunei

Please note: These are supplied in 150L containers.

Trachycarpus fortunei is a genus of hardy Palm trees that were introduced into the UK by Robert Fortune in 1849.

 The Chusan Palm is native to Central China, Burma and India and won the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 2002.

Windmill Palms are considered to be the hardiest palm for the UK, at Barcham we grow this interesting specimen on a single trunk, with deep green leaves that are fan like, with the leaflets towards the end of the leaf. 

The bark is rough and dark brown, with the left over leaf bases giving a coarse appearance to the trunk. 

At maturity the trunks remain fairly slender, with even the tallest of mature trees only having a 30cm diameter trunk!  The flowers can be both male (yellow) and female (lime green) and are produced in hanging panicles that can reach 1m long in the spring; the female and male flowers are borne on separate trees. 

The fruits are blue black and produced in late summer to ripen by mid autumn. Whilst it is recommended as a hardy Palm, Trachycarpus fortunei is best planted in sheltered areas where the large leaves will not be damaged by the wind.  It is best suited to soils that are well drained. 

This interesting tree is quite unlike many other specimens that we stock at Barcham Trees, it is the only Palm that we truly recommend to survive our winters and indeed it is generally thought to perform better in cooler climates than very hot ones.

Mature Height: 3-7m