Bottle Palm

Hyophorbe lagenicaulis

Distinctive Swollen Trunk
Slow Growing
Single Specimen Accent

Pet & Human Safety

People: Not researchedPets: Not on the ASPCA lists as we read them

People: not researched yet.

Toxic to pets

No ASPCA entry found.

Genuinely unassessed by ASPCA for this actual species: the two 'Bottle Palm' pages that DO exist on ASPCA are both non-toxic verdicts for entirely different, unrelated plants, and applying either to this species would be a naming-trap error. For context: most true palms ASPCA has evaluated are rated non-toxic, but that pattern isn't extended into an inferred verdict here, especially given how easily this exact name could mislead a lookup.

PlotAndPetal cannot tell you whether a plant you found can be eaten. Only someone who can see the plant can identify it.

Look-alike warning

Could be mistaken for ASPCA's 'Bottle Palm' and 'Bottle Palm 2' pages (Beaucarnea recurvata and Nolina tuberculata), both non-toxic succulents unrelated to this species (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, a true palm). To tell them apart: This species is a true palm with feathery pinnate fronds on a palm trunk; Beaucarnea recurvata (also called 'ponytail palm,' PlotAndPetal's separate entry) has a swollen, water-storing base and strappy leaves instead.. A name-based lookup for 'Bottle Palm' would wrongly pull up a non-toxic verdict that was never determined for this species: left without a verdict instead of borrowing either wrong-species ASPCA page.

Poison control

If someone has collapsed, cannot be woken, is having a seizure or has trouble breathing, call 911 now. For any other possible poisoning, call Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.

Emergency number source: U.S. federal law (47 U.S.C. § 251(e)(3)), read 2026-10-07.

Naturalist Lore

Historical Background & Breeding Lore

The history of this plant and its name, and how it was bred, where we have them.

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Care

Hardiness zones: Not checked yet
Mature size: Typically a smaller, slow-growing palm reaching roughly 10-12 feet tall at maturity, with the distinctive bottle-shaped trunk widest near the base.
Family: Arecaceae (true palm family)

Soil & Drainage

Pruning & Flush Rhythm

Feeding Schedule

How to prepare the soil, when and what to feed, and how and when to prune where that applies.

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Anatomy & Guilds

Botanical Anatomy & Characteristics

How the flowers and leaves are built and which pollinators visit, where we have them.

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Field Doctor

What can go wrong with this plant and what to do about it, where we have them.

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Vintage Plates

Old botanical drawings from public libraries are in the app, for plants where we have them.

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Sources

How we choose sources

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