Hyophorbe verschaffeltii

spindle palm

Perhaps the most elegant and artistic palm on our property, the spindle palm is attractively colorful and shapely. Palms look great in threes, and we are very fortunate to have three well-staggered trunks on our specimen. The bold spikes under the foliage are unopened flower stalks, which will bloom to display hundreds of extremely small male and female flowers. Mature trunks taper at the bottom and at the top, shaped much like a spindle, hence the common name.

While there are only about fifty remaining plants growing in the wild on the palm’s native home of Rodrigues Island, Mauritius, the palm will continue to survive in cultivation because of its aesthetic beauty.

True, the palm has a beautiful appearance but the genus name of the palm, which translates as ‘pig food,’ is certainly less attractive. The fruits of many palms are plentiful and high in fats and were used by the Spanish to fatten the pigs they brought over with them to the New World.

This palm is relatively small, growing to about 25ft. tall. It enjoys full sun but requires an above-average soil moisture content to grow best.