Hyophorbe lagenicaulis

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor

Pronunciation: HIGH-oh-for-bee luh-gen-ih-CALL-iss


Common Name: Bottle Palm

Hyophorbe lagenicaulis is an extremely popular landscape and potted palm around the world, but in California it is somewhat marginal, only succeeding in the best coast microclimates. It does fairly as in indoor palm, if let outdoors regularly for sun exposure and humidity purposes. It's ornamental prominently ringed, bottle-shaped trunk and striking leaf/petiole colors makes it one of the more unusual and ornamental palms one can grow. It is almost over planted in some areas of Hawaii, but here in California it is still a rare and fascinating oddity. Though fairly common in cultivation, this palm is nearly extinct on its native Mascarene Islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar.

Appearance and Biology
  • Habit: solitary with a crown of 2-4 feather leaves
  • Height: 6' trunk estimate
  • Trunk: single; 12" thick; grey; ringed; swollen center tapering both below and above; clean
  • Crownshaft: 1' tall; lime green; much narrower than most of trunk diameter
  • Spread: 4'-6'
  • Leaf Description: pinnate; stiff; recurved; leaflets upright in 'V' formation; tips of leaflets sometimes droop; leaflets closely space and usually overlapping; leaves often have a twist to them; lime green to deep green; 3' long
  • Petiole/Leaf bases: 6"-8"; nearly tubular and smooth; unarmed; retained, split leaf bases often obscure crownshaft
  • Reproduction: monoecious
  • Inflorescence: rarely if ever seen in California; from below crownshaft; 1' long; highly branched; upright at 45 degree angle from crownshaft; cream colored flowers
  • Fruit: spherical/ovoid; 1"; olive green turning to black when ripe
Horticultural Characteristics
  • Minimum Temp: 33F
  • Drought Tolerance: moderate
  • Dry Heat Tolerance: low
  • Wind Tolerance: moderate
  • Salt Tolerance: moderate
  • Growth Rate: very slow
  • Soil Preference:widely adaptable
  • Light Requirement: partial to full sun
  • Human Hazards: none
  • Disease or Horticultural Problems: other than being extremely marginal, mild tendency towards potassium deficiency
  • Transplants?: unknown
  • Indoor?: too light needy usually
  • Availability: moderately common, even showing off and on in garden outlet nurseries

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