The Bottle Palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis) is known for its very unique one of a kind large swollen trunk. The striking Large Bottle Palm tree is from the Mascarene Islands, which are in the Indian Ocean just East of Madagascar. The Bottle Palm is nearly extinct in its natural habitat but is now widely commercially grown for its ornamental use. The Bottle Palm is very slow growing and adds flavor with uniqueness to any setting. The most distinguishing feature of the Bottle Palm is the bulged section of its trunk. This bulged section changes in colors throughout its life from gray, green, and even purple. The unique palm tree grows to the maximum average height of nearly 20 feet tall when mature but will take many years to do so. It has Pinnate (feather shaped), arched leaves that will give any location a true feeling of the tropics. The Bottle Palm Tree enjoys full sun and does best with sandy, good draining soil. The Bottle Palm is not cold hardy and will not tolerate frost. The Bottle Palm is usually the center of attention and a conversation starter in any garden or home.
 
Stems: Solitary, erect stems, to 7 m tall, up to 60 cm in diameter, ringed with close leaf scars and greatly swollen at the base. Leaves: Pinnate, reduplicate, strongly arched, to 3 m long, with leaflets evenly spaced along the rachis and held in a V-shape. Upper and lower leaf surfaces are green to gray-green; the midrib and secondary ribs are prominent and yellowish. Flowers and fruits: Inflorescences are erect in bud, to 1 m long, with several horn-shaped buds circling the base of the waxy green crown shaft, densely branched with male and female flowers on the same inflorescence. The ovoid fruits (2.5 cm long) are brownish black when ripe.