Trachycarpus latisectus
Encyclopedia
Trachycarpus latisectus (formerly Trachycarpus sikkimensis) is an attractive palm tree
with large leathery leaves with exceptionally wide segments and a thick, bare and ringed trunk. Its fan-shaped leaves resemble those of Livistona
. It has a bare trunk and its seeds resemble those of T. martianus
.
It is commonly known as Windamere palm, for the locality where its first botanical description was made, the garden of the famous Windamere Hotel
in Darjeeling, India
. It was formally photographed and collected for the first time only in 1992 during the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Sikkim Expedition. It is considered a temperate palm, and has been reported to withstand a wide range of climates, from tropical, subtropical to cold and wet conditions. It is native to Sikkim
in the Himalayas
, where it has been reported from a range of elevation between 3500 to 7000 feet. It remains in the wild in just one tiny, heavily altered location which is immediately threatened by deforestation
.
Seeds are considered very easy to easy to germinate. They should be soaked for at least 12 hours, then placed in a mixture of moist peat
with perlite
or vermiculite
within a plastic bag, and keep at 18 - 28°C. Viable seeds will sprout in a time frame between two to ten months, depending of several factors. The tree grows quickly and easily. T. latisectus requires a rich and loamy but well-drained soil. Young plants are best grown under some shade. As it does not have an invasive root system, it also grows well in containers. (Luis M. Chong L.)
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
with large leathery leaves with exceptionally wide segments and a thick, bare and ringed trunk. Its fan-shaped leaves resemble those of Livistona
Livistona
Livistona is a genus of 36 species of palms , native to southern and southeastern Asia, Australasia, and the Horn of Africa...
. It has a bare trunk and its seeds resemble those of T. martianus
Trachycarpus martianus
Trachycarpus martianus is a species in the genus Trachycarpus from two distinct populations, one at 5,000 feet in the Khasia Hills, Meghalaya Province, in northeast India, the other at 8,000 feet in central northern Nepal. There may be well be other populations...
.
It is commonly known as Windamere palm, for the locality where its first botanical description was made, the garden of the famous Windamere Hotel
Windamere Hotel
Windamere Hotel, built in the 1930s, is a heritage hotel situated on Observatory Hill, in Darjeeling, India.-History:The hotel started out as boarding house for bachelor British tea planters in Darjeeling, in what was then British India, in the late 1930s. It was acquired by Tenduf La, a Sikkimese...
in Darjeeling, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was formally photographed and collected for the first time only in 1992 during the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Sikkim Expedition. It is considered a temperate palm, and has been reported to withstand a wide range of climates, from tropical, subtropical to cold and wet conditions. It is native to Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, where it has been reported from a range of elevation between 3500 to 7000 feet. It remains in the wild in just one tiny, heavily altered location which is immediately threatened by deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
.
Seeds are considered very easy to easy to germinate. They should be soaked for at least 12 hours, then placed in a mixture of moist peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
with perlite
Perlite
Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently...
or vermiculite
Vermiculite
Vermiculite is a natural mineral that expands with the application of heat. The expansion process is called exfoliation and it is routinely accomplished in purpose-designed commercial furnaces. Vermiculite is formed by weathering or hydrothermal alteration of biotite or phlogopite...
within a plastic bag, and keep at 18 - 28°C. Viable seeds will sprout in a time frame between two to ten months, depending of several factors. The tree grows quickly and easily. T. latisectus requires a rich and loamy but well-drained soil. Young plants are best grown under some shade. As it does not have an invasive root system, it also grows well in containers. (Luis M. Chong L.)