Trachycarpus in DC

[PaddyM]

Wanted to share the below pic. I was in DC two weeks ago, right after that brutally cold week we had in the Northeast. I saw this house in the DuPont area with two fine looking Trachy palms. Looking good! 

[PalmatierMeg]

Cool. Wish they'd been around when I lived up there. Thanks for the photo.

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

NICE!!  great spotting!   Love seeing this here in DC.  

There are quite a few palms in DC.   Trachys are underused here, but you can find plenty of Sabal Minor and Rahpidophyllum Hystrix (needle palms) all over.  I know one guy that has several sizable trachys, and theres plenty of people in Nova that have them as well especially near the Potomac.   In fact I just visited DC ( I now live in Reston VA) in feb, a few times and I have lots of pics to post, so since you started the thread Ill be happy to add to it!   .... photos to come shortly. 

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

Ok adding loads of photos to this.   First up palms at the U.S. National Arboretum.  There are two needle palms (that I know of) and one has been moved.  It is in the first photo on the right side of the road out in the open next to a loblolly pine.  It is smaller about 5' tall at tallest leaf tips.   The next 4 photos are of the very large one in the Asia Valley / collections, and has been there as far as I can remember. I believe it was planted in the 1960's.  I know it has seen some of the worst, coldest, and snowiest winters D.C. has to offer. It is about 12' or so tall at the tallest leaf tips, the petioles themselves are a good 6 feet or longer. It has many trunks / heads.  Its so thick its hard to see, but i took a closeup anyway. 

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

I forgot to include these from the arboretum.  This is a small patch of about 12 Sabal Minor that have been relatively newly planted, they range in size from strap leaf or near it to near mature.  I am unsure how long they have been there but they were not there when I last visited it a few years ago. 

 

 

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

Next up are again ones that many probably know about.  I have not visited them in a few years either. They are the now rather tall 20 year old T. Fortunei, and loads of S. Minor (some very large) and Needle palms planted in huge built in planters (and I mean huge) all along the east end south facing wall of the National Air and Space museum downtown D.C.  There are multiple large (5-6 feet tall) S. Minor all crammed in together. They are and have been fruiting for years and seedlings ranging in size to strap leaves to near mature have popped up all over the place even in cracks.  S. Minor seeds itself here readily and could in theory do very well in a natural setting. I personally think they would.  Plant several in a forest area like the ones I posted at the Arboretum, and you very likely will have many more than you planted in 20 years time.  There are 2 or 3 larger needle palms there as well near the T. Fortunei, and they are next to a patch of what looks to me like Musa Basjoo bananas that come back every year and get very tall.  Of course there are lots of other places in DC with needle palms from areas around the U.S. Botanic Garden, to many in private yards.  There are also substantial amounts of not just needles but all 3 species throughout DC and the entire Metropolitan areas especially warmer areas. 

 

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

One last post.  These are of a S. Minor that I planted in summer of 2010 at my then home in old town Alexandria VA. It is on the SE corner of the home and gets a fair amount of sun there year round.  At least several hours or more.  It is a very warm area as well as snow usually does not stick much within a foot or two of that house, and it always is the first to melt off to bare ground, even in heavy snows.  It is about the same size as it was when I planted it, (slightly larger and a few more leaves now) and has fruited once.  I am not sure if the seeds it produced were viable or not.  All photos posted by me in these posts were taken about mid February of 2017.  

[PaddyM]

I drove past the two Trachycarpus in DuPont pictured at the beginning of this thread. They’re very dead after this past winter. They were looking so good! 

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

heres an update on the Air and space Windmill.  Lots of basjoo here too

.