Wow... that is some interesting info on the Trachys. And the website link was fascinating. Too bad we can't get those over here in the U.S. yet. Maybe soon though.

It's amazing how huge they do grow in those small pots. I wonder how they get such drastic growth. I wouldn't mind finding out how they make their fertilizer and what soil concoction they are using as well as conditions.

southern Il boy I have done buisness with them in the past. The do sell seeds. I have some from the trachy tesan

Mike,

Have you found the trachy-tesan to be as hardy as they describe? Do you protect them at all in winter?

The ones I have are in 5 gallons and they are very cold hardy but like most small palms they need some minimum protection just to keep them dry during the winter. When they get bigger I am sure they they will be even more cold hardy. Plus these are straight from china where fortunei come from anyway. I know here in the usa its possible to get fortunei with stiff leaves and some with softer droopy leaves. I have a few friends who got seeds from me and all of there tesan have a stiffer type leaf.

I recall seeing some bulletin board with a nursery in China that was selling a species of trachy that was definitely not princeps, but had a white waxy back like princeps and very deeply divided leaves like t. oreophilus. Given that princeps and nanus came out of China, there could be all sorts of stuff the west has never seen but that is 'common' to some remote village in China. Truly sad that even the new discoveries may be doomed due to China's horrible conservation practices.

P.S. is anybody growing t. princeps in the desert SW - specifically in a 7b climate? My 3 small potted seedlings thrived this summer in full sun in Albq., and are just now beginning to develop fans. They will go in the ground in a year or two for a longterm survival experiment in this climate. Interestingly the seedlings have had the white waxiness really go nuts now. Its a shame this isn't more common as it really is a cool palm. I am also growing seedlings (like to start small) of nanus, and 'Naga Hills'. There is all sorts of variation in this genus and most of it for better or worse is in closed territory. THanks to the original poster for some cool photos.

Flattie:
The one you talked about have white snow color underneath with highly divided leaves is NOT Trachycarpus princeps , BUT Silver dwarf palm- Trachycarpus spp with short trunk and thorns.
The T.princeps we have is real T.princeps we took from the habitat , the stone gate area where the first T.priceps is from originally. I have been there twice and touch and photograph of the T.princeps in my own eyes and hand. It is amazing to see T.princeps in the steep cliffs overseeing the river. But unfortunately, T.princeps has been added on the red list as endangered species by the Chinese government and it is far harder to obtain the seeds right now than before.

Here is a link that might be useful: Silver Dwarf palm, not Trachycarpus princeps

That's it! Nice.

The "silver dwarf palm" appears to be Guihaia argyrata.

Do I have a sub-species or a hybrid.
The leaves are fuller and stiffer than my other T. fortunei's.

Underside: