Photos of Trachycarpus fortunei "Tesan"

[garrytsen]

Trachycarpus fortunei "Tesan" has kind of rough and stiff leaves since young as compared to regular T.fortunei which explains why it is more cold hardy than its counterparts apart from its stronger hairy trunk. Take a look at them.

[Toby]

How does that explain it being more cold hardy? Are stiff-leaved palms generally more cold hardy?

Best, TOBY

[Kris]

Dear Garrytsen

thanks for those lovely comparative stills...

love,

Kris

[garrytsen]

How does that explain it being more cold hardy? Are stiff-leaved palms generally more cold hardy?

Best, TOBY

Tesan leaves are stiffer and compact because the surface are thicker ,thus better protecting from the cold damage to the leave.

Likewise, its hair on the trunk are far more thicker as wel making a fatter trunk. Most importantly, its original source is the northermost and they have survived a very long time of cold in this condition and its offspring show somewhat difference in its look and cold hardiness.

[Mark_NoVA]

Thanks for the information and photos, Garry!

Where is the northern source of these palms?

On a different topic, are there any palm forums in China?

How does that explain it being more cold hardy? Are stiff-leaved palms generally more cold hardy?

Best, TOBY

Tesan leaves are stiffer and compact because the surface are thicker ,thus better protecting from the cold damage to the leave.

Likewise, its hair on the trunk are far more thicker as wel making a fatter trunk. Most importantly, its original source is the northermost and they have survived a very long time of cold in this condition and its offspring show somewhat difference in its look and cold hardiness.

[simona]

Hope you'll post more pictures of Trachycarpus varieties.

Welcome to PalmTalk & thanks for sharing, Gary!

[JakeK]

Just how much more cold hardy is the 'Tesan' form?

For about 8 years, there was a Trachycarpus fortunei planted outside a restaurant along the Ohio River in Covington and it survived, albeit barely, for those 8 years without any protection other than it was practically on the Ohio River. If the 'Tesan' form is hardier by a couple of degrees, then it might have a chance in the warmest microclimates of Cincinnati which are zone 7.

[garrytsen]

Tesan were cultivated in Tianshui Gansu Pronvince,Northwest China where the lowest temperature reached as low as -20C /-5Fin its bitterly cold winter

and also they got used to the temperature in Beijing North China. In 1955, Tesan survived the record hit cold -20.6 C in Hefei City, East China, All these

cultivation experiment indicated that Tesan are more cold hardy than regular T.fortunei due to their unique thick and stiff leaves and thicker hair protecting

the plant.

Edited September 6, 2008 by garrytsen

[Mark_NoVA]

Thanks for the information! I hope that gets to the U.S. soon. Could you tell us where the name 'Tesan' comes from, and show the Chinese characters?

Another question: the most cold-hardy cycad we have here right now comes from China--Cycas panzhihuaensis. Have you found any cycads there that are more cold-hardy than this one?

Thanks, Mark

Tesan were cultivated in Tianshui Gansu Pronvince,Northwest China where the lowest temperature reached as low as -20C /-5Fin its bitterly cold winter

and also they got used to the temperature in Beijing North China. In 1955, Tesan survived the record hit cold -20.6 C in Hefei City, East China, All these

cultivation experiment indicated that Tesan are more cold hardy than regular T.fortunei due to their unique thick and stiff leaves and thicker hair protecting

the plant.

[sonoranfans]

Trachycarpus fortunei "Tesan" has kind of rough and stiff leaves since young as compared to regular T.fortunei which explains why it is more cold hardy than its counterparts apart from its stronger hairy trunk. Take a look at them.

A very interesting hypothesis gary, and I like the looks of the tesan better as well, it seems to have some blue color in it. Thanks for the information, its sounds like a palm that every cold hardy palm grower should have in their collection. Within a species the stiffness/coldhardiness appears to be somewhat consistent. The phoenix and washingtonia species with the stiffer leaves tend to be more cold hardy.

[PalmGuyWC]

From the photos, T. "Tesan" appears to be very similar to T. wagnerianus, except much larger. It's quite a find if it's more cold hardy than T. fortunei.

Dick

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

Beautiful Trachy...thanks for posting!

[manuvericel]

T.fortunei has such a variability in its blood that you can easily find the same kind of palms with stiff palms in any nursery or batch of seeds all over the world.

That said, I am not saying that a wild population showing those caracters does not exist...

MANU

Edited September 15, 2008 by manuvericel

[manuvericel]

T.fortunei as such a variability in its blood that you can easily find the same kind of palms with stiff palms in any nursery or batch of seeds all over the world.

That said, I am not saying that a wild population showing those caracters does not exist...

MANU

[kristof p]

today i recived some var tesan seeds from coldplant and IMO they do look interesting. i compared the seeds of the var tesan with seeds i harvested of a fortunei not far from my home...the var tesan are huge in comparison with the seeds i harvested. both grow in cool wet climates...

also Garry has putted some 'var chusan' seeds with my order and those are exactly the same size of the seeds i harvested of the fortunei not far from my home. i think Garry once said that practicly al of the cultivated fortuneis outside of China are from 'var chusan' fortuneis...

the colour also looked differant. the 'normal' fortunei seeds(the peel?) have always a blueish colour on them while the var tesans are very black...

just take a look at this picture. on the left are the seeds i harvested of a fortunei growing not far from my home (cool and wet climate) on the right are the much larger 'var tesan' seeds.

i'm not a specialist on seeds or so but i do find this interesting...

[kristof p]

does nobody find those large 'var tesan' seeds interesting???...

[Mark_NoVA]

I find it very interesting! I hope you keep us posted on the germination process. I was considering getting some of those, too. Don't know how difficult it would be to import them into the U.S. I mailed in a 'small batches of seed' request for importing palm seeds a week ago--we'll see how that goes.

does nobody find those large 'var tesan' seeds interesting???...

[kristof p]

lets hope they are just as easy and fast to germinate than most of the other Trachyarpus. tomorow i wil put them in the zipbags and leef them at roomtemperature...

if this 'var tesan' is as cold hardy as they say than it would be a great palm for people in climates that can sometimes get realy cold. it was very sad for me to look at picture of Trachycarpus palms growing in the east of my country that are totaly defoliated after this winter. those palms have grown there for years without any damage...until this winter arrived. i am very lucky to life in the mildest part of the country. while i only saw one night below -8°C (-8.5°C), some people in the east of my country, only 150km/200km from here, saw temperatures lower than -20°C (-23°C!) and maximum temperatures of -10°C ...

[LouisvillePalmer]

On 9/5/2008 at 7:16 PM, JakeK said:

Just how much more cold hardy is the 'Tesan' form?

 

For about 8 years, there was a Trachycarpus fortunei planted outside a restaurant along the Ohio River in Covington and it survived, albeit barely, for those 8 years without any protection other than it was practically on the Ohio River. If the 'Tesan' form is hardier by a couple of degrees, then it might have a chance in the warmest microclimates of Cincinnati which are zone 7.

What was the restaurant called?

[donofriojim1]

On 11/18/2020 at 10:58 AM, LouisvillePalmer said:

What was the restaurant called?

I agree with you there. Greater Cincinnati is realistically ranges from 5b to 7a. A friend of mine has had a trachycarpus takil outdoors unprotected since 2016 in the northern suburbs which is in a realistic 6b location 

[DallasPalms]

The big chunky trunks win me.

Has anyone grown these in much hotter climates? I bought some seeds from up north where summer never gets over 90 from a plant with a 'Bulgaria' look @ stiff leaves. The seedlings are longer than the other Trachycarpus I'm growing from seed but more pale so far.

I like the look when the drooping leaves on a larger crowned tree remain stiff and turn a deep yellow. Seems to happen when the leaves are more of a dark forest green shade. I've seen just one around town with similar traits and i'm wondering why I dont see it more often. Maybe just my taste...

We need more Tesan seeds @garrytsen

Edited November 27, 2020 by DallasPalms

[Swolte]

On 11/27/2020 at 7:26 AM, DallasPalms said:

Has anyone grown these in much hotter climates?

I have been growing a young leafling in less than ideal circumstances in central Texas and I am quite surprised it's still there. Been in the ground for a year and a bit and its, despite critter attacks, been pushing out some leaves now. I am taking better care of it now. 

[tim_brissy_13]

I tried getting an ID on this one I purchased earlier this year. I picked it out of a bunch of T fortunei because it was clearly different from the others with more compact fronds, fused leaflets, stuff, leathery fronds and silver/blue colour on the undersides. I was initially hopeful it was T geminisectus, but it has exploded with growth this spring so I think a variant of T fortunei is more likely, none of the other Trachy species seem to fit. Could it be a ‘Tesan’?

[Will]

Got some seeds from a follow plant enthusiast. Was taken from a Tesan but probably pollinated by some fortunei around. Lets see how they will look like.

Edited January 15, 2022 by Will