Features:
Common name: Chusan Palm, Hemp Palm, Mill Palm
Family: Arecaceae
Origin: China
Height at maturity: 2 to 12 meters
Hardiness: -18°C
Exposure: sunny, partial shade
Plant type: palm
Vegetation: perennial
Foliage: evergreen
Flowering: spring
Flower color: bright yellow
Type of soil: deep, rich and draining
Watering: regular
Use: pot, isolated
Diseases and pests: disease resistant
Toxicity: not determined
Storage of seeds: 1 year in a dry place away from light at 3/4°C (refrigerator)
Description:
Do you want a palm tree in your garden and you live in an area with harsh winters? The Chusan palm is one of the most cold-hardy palms. It is of more rapid growth.
Trachycarpus fortunei also resists lack or excess of water, and wind. It can grow in the shade or in the sun. Ideally, he likes to have his head in the sun and his feet cool. It is indifferent to the substrate in which it evolves, provided it is dense, even clayey.
The mill palm is dioecious, so there are male and female plants. Its foliage is persistent, palms finely cut in the shape of a fan.
The flowers are very numerous with a beautiful bright yellow. The inflorescences, which consist of thousands of flowers, can reach a length of about 1 meter.
The fruits: the female subjects produce a large quantity of black-violet colored fruits.
The stipe (trunk) is covered with brown horsehair. The base of the petioles is covered with hemp which gives it a rustic look.
The name of this species comes from the English botanist Fortune Robert who discovered it around 1850.
In China, the inflorescences are eaten as vegetables. The fruits are also edible when ripe, although not very popular. The fibers and leaves are also used in China for handicrafts.
