Family: Arecaceae

Bottle palm is a slow-growing dwarf palm. It grows to 10 or 12 feet tall. The smooth grey trunk is bottle-shaped, hence the common name.  The bottle palm is native to Round Island, where it is critically endangered. However, it flourishes beyond its habitat because of its desired ornamental qualities.

Plant Uses:

• Container plant
• Indoor plant
• Ornamental

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers

High Risk Traits:

• Grown throughout the tropics; history of repeated introductions
  
• Tolerates part shade
  
• Tolerates a wide range of soil types (sandy, loamy, clay, acidic, neutral, alkaline)
  
• Produces viable seed
  
• Self-compatible (single plants produce fertile seed)
  
• Intentionally dispersed by people
  
• Propagules likely bird-dispersed
  
• Propagules survive passage through gut (pig food)

Low Risk Traits:

• No evidence of naturalization or weediness
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• No evidence of allelopathy or parasitism
  
• Not toxic to animals or humans
  
• Does not form dense thickets
  
• No vegetative fragmentation
  
• Requires insects for pollination (not self-pollinating within same inflorescence)
  
• Long time to first flowering (8–10 years)
  
• No seed attachment for external dispersal
  
• Seeds relatively large, not likely as produce contaminant
  
• No persistent seed bank (seeds must be fresh; germinate in weeks to months)
  
• Single trunk with single meristem (not tolerant of mutilation/fire)