Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan palm)

Europe's best known palm tree, the Trachycarpus Fortunei, originates from the mountainous areas of west-, south- and central China. Harsh winters and low temperatures are no stranger to these regions. Because of this, the Trachycarpus fortunei is very winter hardy. It prefers the cooler climates and actually dislikes the tropics, which makes it a perfect candidate for European gardens. That is why this palm tree was brought to Europe around 150 years ago. This turned out to be a success, as the palm tree quickly became quite the attractions for many parks and gardens.

Having a Trachycarpus fortunei in your garden lets you enjoy this beautiful hardy palm tree. With its rough, fibre trunk, which generally is smaller at the bottom and thicker at the top, will leave a good impression. De trunk can grow up to twelve metres (40 feet) high. Trachycarpus grows beautiful dark green fan-shaped leaves, which will get around 40-50 leaflets of around 70 cm (2.3 feet) long. These leaflets are usually 3 cm (1 inch) thick.