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A Trachycarpus that has been knocking around in cultivation for a while. I got it as a seedling a very long time ago and was amazed to find it still alive, if struggling, under a mass of brambles.
It has been rescued and replanted in the garden. It is circulating under a number of names. Hardy Palms say: "A wild occurring Trachycarpus growing near to Trachycarpus princeps in China.Botanically very close to fortunei. Probably the fastest growing of the Trachycarpus family , resembling Trachycarpus martianus when larger. Seems slightly less cold hardy than fortunei, but recovers extremely rapidly. This palm was first introduced at around the same time as Trachycarpus princeps in the late 1990,s. Seed was wrongly sold as Trachycarpus princeps and there was a lot of disappointed people. Today ,many of those disappointed find solace in the fact that this is a very different and fast growing palm tree. It is probably the fastest growing palm tree you can grow in the UK. Since the late 90,s it has been found that there are actually mature wild populations of this palm in the same area as Trachycarpus princeps. The area obviously supports 2 distinct species. Whether Trachycarpus nova is another cultivar of fortunei or worthy of its own species name is open to debate and differing opinion. What is certain is that it is indeed a different looking palm to fortunei , looking more like Trachycarpus martianus. The wild populations have a silver colouration to the backs of the leaves , although not as distinct as Trachycarpus princeps. The palm however is worthy of its place in the exotic garden due to its fast growth, long petioles, and extra large leaves with silvery backs." |
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| 19th May 2023 | ||