Trachycarpus takil

Trachycarpus takil Becc., Webbia 1: 52 1905.;
 
Kumaun Palm;

Trachycarpus takil (Kumaon Palm) is a fan palm native to the foothills of the Himalaya in Kumaon in northwestern India, and possibly in adjacent western Nepal; it grows at altitudes of 1,800–2,700 m.

It grows to 10–15 m tall, with a rough trunk covered in fiber from the old leaf bases; it is easily distinguishable from Trachycarpus fortunei from its infancy by the young plants having the tendency to growing obliquely; by the young trunk being distinctly conical; by the adult trunk covered with very tightly clasping (not ruffled) chestnut brown fibers; by the short, triangular, erect ligulas on the leaf sheaths of the terminal shoot; by the leaves more spreading and those of the previous year being placed just below the last flowering spadices, reflexed, although still alive, by the leaf blade being irregularly divided only down to about the middle; finally by the fruit being more distinctly uniform or considerably broader than high. Additionally, the first leaves of sprouting T. takil seeds are duplicate (having only two ridges differing from T. fortunei with its quadruplicate first leaves.)
It was first discovered by a Major Madden, a British Army colonel with a passion for botany stationed in the Himalayas during the 1840s. Unfortunately, while Madden produced precise descriptions of both the plant and location, he made the fatal mistake of assuming it to be Trachycarpus martianus, failing to realize it was a separate species, thus losing the chance to claim its discovery.
First officially described by the Italian Botanist Odoardo Beccari in 1905 (“Le Palme del Genere Trachycarpus”, in Webbia I). The leaves all permanent as in Tr. fortunei. Petioles about as long as the blade. Blade 3/4 orbicular, 1–1.2 m in diameter, irregularly divided down to about the middle into 45–50 segments, 60-85 cm in length from the top of the petiole (hastula) to the apex of the median segments, the latter stiff and erect, not with drooping tips. (Beccari, O. 1931: Asiatic palms: Corypheae. Ann.Royal Bot. Gard. 13, Calcutta)
(From Wikipedia on 8.5.13) 

 
Trachycarpus takil Becc., Webbia 1: 52 (1905).
Common name: Kumaun Palm
Status: Endemic to Kumaun Himalaya (not found anywhere else in the world) and unofficially threatened due to habitat loss.
Picture information
Date: 18.05.2010
Locality: Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand
So here goes my first post after a long long time…..
A breif information about the genus Trachycarpus and its species
http://www.plantapalm.com/vpe/palmkey/trachykey/trachykey.htm

 

 

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Endemic palm of Uttarakhand- Trachycarpus takil : Attachments (1 + 2).  5 posts by 3 authors.
Trachycarpus takil (Arecaceae) is a narrow endemic palm of India. It grows only in the area near Kalamuni- Girgaon (2000- 2700m) in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. Unlike other palms of the world it is frost tolerant being temperate in origin. This species has few surviving individuals in this area and thus it is included in Red Data Book of Indian Plants by BSI. In my last visit to the area I saw plants of different ages in the area indicating natural regeneration of species.

 

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… sir indicated towards the discussion in eflora site which I saw today and found that the pictures are lacking flowering stage and typical character of stem (covered with fibrous leaf remains). Therefore, to strengthen our site enclosing two more pics required. Both of them are taken at Botanical Survey of India, Northern Circle, Dehradun where it is planted.

As also mentioned by … sir, Dr B.S.Kholia in his research paper in Current Science (2009) has also mentioned that Trachycarpus species cultivated in Naini Tal and Ranikhet- Chaubatiya area is not T. takil but it is T.fortunei.

 
This temperate plant is considered one of the most cold tolerant palm, otherwise most of the palms are tropical and subtropical in distribution.
Trachycarpus takil Becc. is considered as an endemic of Uttarakhand, propagated by Englishmen and planted at Chaubatiya Garden (Near Ranikhet) and Naini Tal.
Few days back I was in the original wild habitat of this species and noticed not less than 15 small individuals along the road which indicates that it is regenerating in nature. The species is listed in Indian Red Data Book as a Rare species. 

Thanks … for upload. Earlier we had a very interesting discussion on this plant.