I wasn’t sure what would be the first post of 2023 but I have just been asked for an image or two of this recently introduced palm for The Palm Journal, so this palm it is first up for the Tregrehan Blog as well. The individuals in the image below have been growing here for only 10 years or so and have been comfortable with lows of -6 degrees. As can be seen from the group they are very ornamental with striking silver backed leaves and hairy trunks. The species was only brought to scientific attention in 2003 and named geminisectus due to the twinning of the divided leaf section tips, quite cool really!

Interestingly their natural habitat is very bony limestone rocky terrain in Nth Vietnam. Not much of that particular terrior in Cornwall, but they have adapted to the conditions here remarkably well. Two of them have been flowering and setting seed here for the past few years which is exciting. Having become adapted to thin poor soil they manage to reproduce at only a few feet tall unlike most other Trachycarpus which are mature at a much greater height. So quite useful for people with limited space who wish to grow a small palm. The species has clung on in the wild due to the relict flora being of an open sunny situation. The usual wide range of warm temperate evergreen broadleaved trees hasn’t been able to colonise and speciate within these isolated karst peaks and swamp out the marginal loving trees and palms with heavy shade.