Trachycarpus martianus (also known as Martius' fan palm) is a tree in the family Arecaceae. There are two distinct populations: one at in the Khasia Hills of Meghalaya state, in northeast India, the other at in central northern Nepal. Other populations have been reported in Assam, Sikkim, Burma and southern China.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Trachycarpus martianus The main identifying characteristics are the regular leaf splits (to about halfway), the coffee-bean-shaped seeds (similar looking to Trachycarpus latisectus) and the bare, as opposed to fibrous trunk. The new leaf spear and edges of the petioles are covered with a white tomentum.Martin Gibbons. A pocket guide to Palms.Wendland, Hermann A. 1861. Bulletin de la Société Botanique de France 8: 429, Trachycarpus martianus.Martius, Carl Friedrich Philipp von. 1831. Plantae Asiaticae Rariores 3: 5–6, t. 211, Chamaerops martiana
The species is named after the German botanist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794-1868).Genaust, Helmut (1976). Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen
It is used in making Jhapi, a traditional head cover often used to felicitate guests in Assam.
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