SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hyophorbe verschaffeltii

COMMON NAME(S): Spindle palm
SUB FAMILY: Ceroxyloideae
TRIBE: Hyophorbeae
ORIGIN: Rodrigues Island (Mascarenes)
HARDINESS ZONES: 10B-11 (severely damaged or killed at 26 degrees F)
TYPICAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 20'
GROWTH RATE: Slow
HABIT: Solitary; crown of 5-10 leaves
SALT TOLERANCE: High
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: Moderate
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Widely adaptable
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: High
NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS: High
POPULAR USES: Small specimen tree
HUMAN HAZARDS: None
POPULAR OR RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS: None

COMMENTS: Spindle palm grows slightly taller and is slightly hardier than the bottle palm. It can be easily separated from the latter by the less swollen trunk (which is never, on mature specimens, widest at the bottom) and the several-ranked leaflets that give the leaves a less formal appearance than those of bottle palm. Though still quite striking in appearance, spindle palm does not cast quite as novel an aspect as H. lagenicaulis, and thus combines more easily in the landscape with other palms. The leaves, especially on young plants, are noticeably triangular in arrangment on the stem. As with its sister species, spindle palm requires regular care to look its best, including supplementary irrigation during dry periods. It should be situated in full sun.