Chamaerops fortunei Hooker, Bot. Mag. 86: t. 5221. 1860; C. excelsa Thunberg; Trachycarpus caespitosus Beccari; T. wagnerianus Beccari.

Stem solitary, to 12 m tall, to 15 cm in diam. Leaf sheath fibers persistent, forming an ocrea more than 25 cm; petioles to 60 m, margins with very fine teeth; blades semicircular in outline, to 1.2 m wide, green on abaxial surface, divided to ca. 3/4 their length into 40-50 stiff segments, transverse veinlets barely visible; middle segments to 3 cm wide. Inflorescences 0.7-0.9 m, erect; male inflorescences branched to 4 orders; rachillae 1-3 cm; female inflorescences branched to 3 orders; rachillae 3-15 cm. Fruits black with a waxy bloom, kidney-shaped, to 0.9 × 1.4 cm.

Fibers are collected from the leaf bases and made into coats and other items (brooms, brushes, doormats); wax is collected from the fruits; and a hemostatic drug is extracted from the seeds. This species is widely cultivated as an ornamental, especially in cooler climates.

Commonly cultivated, rarely found in forests; 100-2400 m. S of Qin Ling and Chang Jiang [Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam].