5. Trachycarpus H.Wendl., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 8:429 (1861).
Taxon Description
Trees, stem solitary, covered with persistent petiole bases, bare, ringed stem in older plants. Leaf sheath fibrous, with ribbon-like, twisted upper margin, flagellum absent, ocrea present in young leaves. Petioles well developed, with small blunt teeth along the margin. Leaves palmate, unarmed, almost circular, divided into 40–70 leaflets, hastula well developed; leaflets induplicate, transverse veinlets conspicuous or not, bifid at the apex. Dioecious. Inflorescence interfoliar, branched to 3-4 orders, eflagellate; prophyll large, tubular at base, peduncular and rachis bracts similar to prophyll. Male inflorescence with stiff branches and short rachillae. Male flower: calyx 3-lobed, corolla imbricate, stamens 6, filaments fleshy, anthers basifixed, pistillodes 3. Female inflorescence with stiff branches, rachillae short to long. Female flower: carpels 3, staminodes 6. Fruit 1-seeded, purplish-black, oblong or kidney-shaped, grooved.
Taxon Statistics
Worldwide 9 species, distributed to Himalaya to China, N Thailand (Mabberley 2017). One species in Nepal.
Key to Species
1 a Leaf divided to half their length. Leaflets 65–70 on each leaf; transverse veinlets of the leaflets clearly visible. Fruit oblong …………………………….…….… 1. T. martianus
b Leaf divided to three-quarters their length. Leaflets 40–50 on each leaf; transverse veinlets of the leaflets scarcely visible. Fruit kidney shaped ………….……*T. fortunei
1. Trachycarpus martianus (Wall. ex Mart.) H.Wendl., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 8:429 (1861).
Chamaerops martiana Wall. ex Mart., N. Wallich, Pl. Asiat. Rar.3:5 (1831).
Trees to 15 m. Stems slender, smooth, distinctly ringed, solitary. Leaf sheath fibrous. Petiole to ca. 30 cm, unarmed, tomentose, irregularly denticulate. Leaves to ca. 70 X 120 cm, orbicular, divided to about half their length; greyish white beneath; leaflets ca. 75, to 3.5 cm wide, bifid at their apices, transverse veins clear. Male Inflorescence to 1 m, branched to 3 orders; prophyll bicarinate to 30 cm; flowers white-yellow. Female inflorescence to ca. 1 m, branched to 3 orders; prophylls and bracts coriaceous; flowers white-yellow, solitary, calyx lobes longer than corolla lobes. Fruit bright yellow to dark glossy blue, oblong, 1.2 X 0.8 cm, grooved. Seeds oval, 1 X 0.7 cm.
Distribution: Nepal, E Himalaya, Assam-Burma, S Asia & E Asia
Altitudinal range: 1500–1600 m
Flowering: April–May Fruiting: June–July
Ecology: On steep, rocky slopes