Staunton Country Park Trachycarpus

[ash101uk]

I read an article by Nathan online about a couple of palms at the Staunton Country Park. This is just up the road from where I work so I had a look today after work.

Not good The top of the trunk seems to have fire damage. Does anyone have any info about the demise of this Trachycarpus.

[Conifers]

Certainly looks to be deceased, but I can't see any evidence of fire damage. Palms are often fairly fireproof too, as the growing point and trunk vascular system are hard for the flames to reach.

[Tom2006]

lightening strike maybe?

[Nathan]

That's a shame, though it was quite a ratty looking specimen, planted where it received a blasting by northerly winds...

If it was set alight, it would probably have been the 'skirt' of dead fronds that were lit & as the location of the palm is in Leigh Park (very rough council estate, infact one of the biggest council estates in Europe) it most probably was some chavs...

I don't see what else could have killed it to be honest as temperatures even up in Havant have not gone anywhere near as low as to damage a Trachycarpus, let alone kill one...

[Adrian]

The Trachys in the Garden of Reflection in the middle of Fareham have been set alight a few times, the hairy trunks are just too tempting for the butters with nothing else to do.
I havent walked through that garden for a couple of years now so not sure how the Trachys or the CIDPs have fared.

[ash101uk]

Just had a look on google maps at the Phoenix canariensis_CIDP and it doesn't look good.

[Adrian]

There were 3 of them Ash and very nice specimens as well, that was a few years back mind.

[Nathan]

A lot of the Phoenix canariensis_CIDP's around Fareham way took a bad hit after last winter, including some right in the town centre. If they recovered I'm sure this winter may finish them off sadly...

[jonny]

Staunton is a lovely place to visit with some nice plants. I must get over there this year to see how the gingers that i donated to them are doing. It must have been parkers that did this. Maybe they were just trying to keep warm after blowing all their giros on booze and class A drugs