Trachycarpus martianus
| Trachycarpus martianus | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trachycarpus martianus 'Nepal' |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Trachycarpus martianus | ||||||||||||
| ( Wall. ) H. Wendl. |
The trachycarpus martianus is a plant of the genus Cannabis palm ( trachycarpus ) in the family of Palm plants (Arecaceae).
history
The first reports on the Trachycarpus martianus can be found in Nathaniel Wallich's work Plantae asiaticae rariores V III from 1832, where Wallich himself gave it the name Chamaerops martiana . The extensive description in it comes from Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius , and Wallich only added a few comments. In 1845 the English botanist William Griffith also described the Chamaerops khasyana , which, however , was merged with the Trachycarpus martianus towards the end of the 19th century , as there are hardly any distinguishing features.
description
Trachycarpus martianus is a very different species from the other Trachycarpus species ( Trachycarpus fortunei , Trachycarpus takil , Trachycarpus princeps , Trachycarpus oreophilus , Trachycarpus nanus , Trachycarpus geminisectus ) and is not very closely related to them. Within the genus Trachycarpus , the Trachycarpus martianus forms its own group because of its olive-shaped fruits, which are reminiscent of the fruits and seeds of date palm species ( phoenix ). Its seeds are deeply grooved on one side almost over the entire length and resemble a coffee bean. The seeds and fruits of the other Trachycarpus species, on the other hand, are more or less kidney-shaped and constricted on one side with a scar. The endocarp of the T. martiana fruit consists almost entirely of one layer. Once the outer layer has been removed, at full maturity it is very easy to see that the seed is covered with circular or star-shaped scales which adhere very firmly to the seed and which are formed from collections of sclerotic cells that make up the endocarp . T. martianus also differs in its larger number of (60 and more) leaf segments, which divide the leaves regularly and in a semicircle to about the middle, which are thrown off after drying up, leaving a large part of the trunk almost bare.
Habitus
The trunk is slender and reaches a height of 15 to 17 m, but often less. The trunk is upright or sometimes twisted. Most of the stem is bare as the older leaves fall off the stem. The ring-shaped scars are not very pronounced. It wears a hemispherical crown of leaves, below which a short piece of the trunk is still covered with short old leaf bases, which merge at the edges into a network of fibers that tightly encompasses this part of the trunk. The very young leaf sheaths and those on the youngest shoots, which are still within the apex , are leathery and have still divided into reticulate fibers. They are covered with woolly scales and merge in the opening of the leaf sheath into a wide, triangular ligula ( ligule ). The rear part of the leaf sheath is thick, lignified and gradually merges into the petiolus (leaf stalk).
leaves
The petioles are delicate and about as long as the leaves. They are almost triangular in cross-section, with the top slightly fluted, and the edges very sharp, but almost smooth, at least near the hastula . but otherwise occupied with teeth, especially in the vicinity of the leaf bases. The petioles measure about 2 cm in diameter along the entire length from the base to the hastula, which is irregularly semicircular. The shape of the hastula could be better described as triangular-heart-shaped. The adult leaves are ¾ circular and measure about 60 to 80 cm from the hastula to the tip of the middle leaf segments. The leaves are divided regularly (sometimes more, sometimes less) up to about half of the leaf by the segments. This applies at least to the middle of the approximately 60 leaf segments. After that, the incisions in the leaf gradually deepen. The segments are green and somewhat dull on the top, while the bottom is more or less blue-green in color. The middle and largest segments are initially 30 to 35 mm wide and then gradually taper to the slightly split segment tips. The segments are stiff, but sometimes also leathery. The lateral leaf segments are narrower than the central ones and also taper more strongly and faster, and the very outer segments are also much shorter than the others. All segments have a strong central rib protruding from the underside of the leaf, which is sometimes a little rough, or has small bulges in which many silver scales are embedded, especially in young leaves, but which then fall off over time. The edges of the leaf segments of very young leaves are also covered with the same scales. The primary nerves on the upper side of the leaf all begin at the petioles tip, but are not as strong as those on the underside, and all end in a semicircle in a callus in the folds of the individual leaf segments. The secondary nerves are very fine and dense (distance approx. 0.5 mm from one another) and are almost equally visible on both sides of the leaf. On the undersides of the leaves they are provided with small, sloping scales, while the secondary nerves on the upper side do not have these scales. The transverse veins are thin, very dense, and slightly more recognizable on the upper side of the leaf than on the lower side.
Inflorescences and flowers
Trachycarpus martianus is a dioeciously separated ( diocese ) palm. The male and female inflorescences are more or less identical, panicle-shaped, with a few branches. The young flower cobs are firm and stiff. The envelope is paper-like or leather-like, and the piston has the shape of an elongated bag or that of a donkey's ear. The cobs are wedge-shaped on the back and about 30 cm long. They are tubular in the lower part, then gradually widen and then taper towards the top again. When dry, the shell is cinnamon-colored, finally striped and ribbed along its length, with the inside being darker and smoother. The upper cobs are smaller than the lower, primary cobs, but otherwise the same. The primary ramifications (partial inflorescences ) form an egg-shaped panicle with numerous side branches (or flower-bearing spikes ), all of which are arranged in a circle around the main axis. The side branches taper towards the tip and are more or less covered with fine, soft hairs, at least in the early stage of flowering.
The male flowers are spherical-triangular and very small with a diameter of 2.5 mm (before the anthesis (full bloom)). They hang individually or sometimes in pairs on tiny flower stalks and are provided with a few tapered bracts.
The calyx (calyx) consists of three sepals , which are close together at the base of the flower. They are triangular, slightly keel-shaped, and tapering towards the top. The petals are broadly ovate, concave, rounded, at the tips slightly arched inward, and twice as long as the sepals. Six uniform stamens , on the whole as long as the corolla. The stamens (filaments) taper towards the top and are slightly shorter than the petals. The anthers are broad and consist of two almost completely separate counters , which are connected at the top and open at the sides. The rudimentary carpels are hairless, about half thickens as long as the petals, oblong and down one side slightly, and go tapering upward into a pen over.
The female inflorescences have two to four main branches and are on the whole 60-90 cm long, including the stem, which is about 25-35 cm in length and about 2-3 cm wide and oval. The individual twigs or flower branches form an elongated panicle about 25-35 cm long with hairless stems a few centimeters long. The stems have an approximately cylindrical shape and taper towards the ends. They in turn have many small side boxes, which are also tapered and curved upwards. The lowest branches are approx. 10 cm long. The branches above are gradually getting shorter, with the shortest branches being just a few centimeters long. They are slightly wrinkled and unevenly covered with fine hairs during flowering. Then they are smooth and hairless.
The female flowers are spherical-egg-shaped and about 2.5 mm in diameter. They are mostly standing alone, but often together with a second but stunted flower, spiral-shaped and without a stalk on the flower branches. They are colored light green and the calyx is practically divided from the base of the flower into 3 broad, egg-shaped, fleshy below, blunt or pointed above, and sepals translucent at the edges . The petals are a third longer than the sepals, fleshy, concave, very broadly ovate and blunted at the top. The staminodes are as long as the petals and the anthers are in the shape of a halberd. During flowering, the carpels are as long as the petals, spindle-shaped, thickened on one side and woolly-hairy on the back, smooth and hairless on the inside. Towards the top, they gradually merge into the punctiform scar.
Fruits and seeds
The fruits are bluish when fully ripe. They are oblong-elliptical, 10–12 mm long and 7–8 mm wide. The fruits are slightly flattened and evenly rounded on both sides. The epicarp is thin and membrane-like and the mesocarp is also very thin. The endocarp (or the inner layer of the mesocarp) adheres firmly to the semen and consists of hard, circular to star-shaped, scaly cells that are visible to the naked eye. The seeds are convex on the back and have a deep groove along most of the length of the front (like a coffee bean). The yellow, olive-shaped fruits are consumed by the locals, although they have little pulp and taste bland.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 36.
Distribution and location
Trachycarpus martianus grows in the central and eastern Himalayas , on the Khasia Hills in Assam and in northern Myanmar . She was also in Nepal? Wallich wrote that it occurs in large numbers in Nepal near Bunipa , at an altitude of about 1500 meters. It is also common on the hills of Khasia in Assam at altitudes of 1000 to 1500 m.
use
Little is known about the commercial use of this palm by the local population. The yellow, olive-shaped fruits are consumed by the locals, although they have little pulp and taste bland.
Care in Central Europe
Trachycarpus martianus cannot be planted in Central Europe without protective measures. Their general tolerance to frost is considerably below the tolerances known from the representatives of the reniform group within the genus.
literature
- Odoardo Beccari: Le Palme del Genere Trachycarpus , Webbia 1 1905
- Odoardo Beccari: Asiatic Palms, Corypheae , Annals of the Royal Bot. Gard. Calcutta 13 - Calcutta 1933
- Stührk, Chris: Molecular systematic studies in the subtribe Thrinacinae, with special consideration of the genus Trachycarpus H. Wendl. (Arecaceae), 2006.
- Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, 1850, Historia Naturalis Palmarum, Volume 3
- William Griffith: 1845 The Palms of British East India
Individual evidence
- ↑ Trachycarpus martianus at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
