Q: I was looking at a Bottle palm in one of the local garden centers and I was thinking of buying it. However, when I went to your website I notice you do not have one in the demonstration garden. Can we grow this palm here?

A: Bottle palm, Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, is a very attractive palm with an interesting bottle shaped stem. It loves hot weather as it was originally found on the Mascarene Islands, located in the Indian Ocean. Our biggest concern about growing it here would be potential exposure to cold temperatures. It grows well in south Florida and it might survive in protected areas here such as an enclosed patio as long as it gets plenty of sunlight and the temperatures are not too severe. If temperatures drop too low, it might need protection and even require being brought inside.

Bottle palm can reach heights of up to 20 feet with a 12 foot spread on the fronds. This might limit your ability to move it from outside to indoors! The palms fruits were fed to hogs which is where the root of the genus Hyophorbe originates. It is a combination of two Greek words: hyo meaning “pig or hog” and phorb meaning “feed or fodder.” The species name, lagenicaulis, is a combination of two Greek words: lagen meaning “a flask” and caulis means “a stem.” So, stem-flasked refers to the bottle-shaped trunk of this palm. See, sometimes science really does make sense! For more information about this palm, check out the University of Florida publication: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr307

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