Trachycarpus latisectus

Family: Arecaceae    Palm Tree

Common Name: Windamere palm

Scientific Synonymy:
Trachycarpus martianus ssp. latisectus, Trachycarpus sikkimensis

Common Synonymy:
Darjeeling palm. French: Palmier Windamere. German: Windamere-Palme.

Cold Hardiness Zone: 9a     View the UK and US zone maps

Trachycarpus latisectus Information

Identification

Leaves up to 125 cm long, lamina orbicular or almost orbicular, ca. 80 cm long, ca. 125 cm broad, glaucous beneath; segments about 70 in number, 3.5 cm wide or more, sometimes adherent. Petioles unarmed. Fruits oval with brownish-yelow pulp, maturing to bluish-black. Seeds 12-13 mm L x 8-9 mm W. Distribution: Dumsong-range, Darjeeling, India.

General Information

'Latisectus' refers to the broad leaflets, indeed one of the distinguishing characteristics of this palm, which are around 5cm (2in) wide, very glossy, and of which there are around 70 in total, forming a very large and leathery leaf. It has a bare trunk and its seeds resemble those of T. martianus. Dioecious. India. Remaining in the wild in just one tiny, heavily altered location in the Sikkim Himalayas in north-east India, which is immediately threatened by destruction, it has only recently been introduced into cultivation.

Distribution

Native to: India

Although there are now reports of a new site slightly higher up, in this, the original site near Kalimpong in India at about 1400 m elevation there are less than 50 individual palms left, and the population is rapidly declining.

Location: India (27.08621°N, 88.584824°E)

Observations

Map may not represent the complete natural distribution. (Markers display observation data).