My Trachycarpus nanus

[Edo]

Hi,

Long time lurker on palmtalk. I adore palms.
Just wanted to share some pictures of my Trachycarpus nanus for my first post here..

From seeds I sowed in may 2011 (bought from europalms.be) After germination they have always lived outside unprotected in my garden in the Netherlands:
I think their fresh-green color stands out nicely against the Cocoa Shell Mulch.

With a 33cl cola can for scale:

And 2 plants I didnt want to seperate:

Thanks for looking!

 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2016 by Edo

[Hamal]

Very nice pictures and a very rare or at least hard to get species! I have spent almost two years looking for seeds and hopefully found some last summer. I guess I will know in a few years whether they are genuine T. nanus.

[Edo]

Thanks!

I plan on isolating them from other pollen when they start flowering and producing my own pure nanus seeds. But that will probably be a couple more years  

They grow slowww...

[Alberto]

Nice plants! They like somewhat alkaline soil and will benefit from the slowly decomposing shells I think.

[Pal Meir]

“The soil, a heavy reddish clay, was rather acidic, giving the lie to the idea that they only grow on limestone.” Source: http://www.palms.org/principes/1993/vol37n2p64-72.pdf

[Pal Meir]

“The soil was a slightly acidic to neutral, stony and sandy but crumbly loam.” Source ditto.

[Pal Meir]

I guess, Trachycarpus nanus might be often confused with Guihaia argyrata which grows on steep limestone slopes:

[Edo]

Those  Guihaia argyrata look very nice aswell! :-)

[Bananengeknl]

Here my Nanus. 

 

[Edo]

Nice plant!
Hoping in a couple of years mine will look just as good!

[JLeVert]

Here is T. nanus in Augusta, GA with seeds:

Close up and personal:

One more:

 

[monkeyranch]

Nice to see them reach reproductive age.  Good bluish color and long leaflets too.  How old are they and are they from RPS seed?  I had 7 of 100 germinate, two of which are working on a trunk so probably not nanus, leaving 5 to flower in the next few years and hopefully a male and female.  Not the greatest germination but I don't fault anyone.  It's just the nature of the wonky logistics of getting rare species from far corners of the world.  Nanus seed has not been back on the availability list for a few years now. 

Hopefully, you'll distribute those so there will one day be more domestic plants producing seed.  Of course, if your too busy for germinating, and would prefer to sell your excess seed, I suppose, I might be able to find the extra time for such an endeavor.    In other words, if a line is forming.......... 

[JLeVert]

I have two of them and they have been in the ground for about 15 years.  Lowest temp they have experienced:  13F (no damage or stress at that low).  Highest temp:  106F (they didn't like it;  they need lots of water when it's that hot). Usually I just let the seed fall on the ground, but I haven't seen any babies coming up.  I have given seed away and people said they germinated just fine for them.  Next October I'll collect the seed and tell people when they're ready for distribution.  Keep in touch!. By the way, I have seen pictures of T. nanus in habitat and they had little trunks.

My place:

 

 

 

 

[Bigfish]

Hey Joe, I still have a few T. nanus from seeds off of your palm.  One died a few years ago here in Smyrna after a cold winter, but I still have three in Gainesville.  Still waiting on them to flower!  

 

 

[JLeVert]

Good job!  I was wondering what had happened to them.

[monkeyranch]

Joseph, thanks in advance for helping the seeds get around.  The taller two I have were noticeably above the soil line beginning at about 1 gal size, but still slow growing and not shooting up fast, relative to a fortunei.  Thinking about how pines have their male cones higher on the tree than the females for better pollination, I wondered if maybe my taller "nanus" were going to be males.  Do you have a picture of your male nanus? 

Another possibility, maybe once in awhile this normally subterranean species bottoms out on a buried rock and having no other direction to grow, pushes up a trunk.  Which would probably mean my two tall ones might not be nanus.  Will wait and see.