Hyophorbe lagenicaulis (bottle palm, "Tokkuriyashi")

Japanese name: トックリヤシ （徳利椰子）
Scientific name: Hyophorbe lagenicaulis

[Overview]
A single-stemmed palm.
The base of the trunk swells greatly into a bottle shape.
Leaf scars remain on the trunk as shallow rings.
The leaves are 1–2 m long, arch out from the top of the trunk, and only about 4–6 are produced.
The leaves are pinnate and fully divided; the leaflets are lanceolate with pointed tips and V-shaped in cross section.
The leaf stalk is short.
The flowers are borne in large numbers on spadices that arise singly from the lower part of the leaf sheath; there are male and female flowers.
Both male and female flowers are white, each with 3 sepals and 3 petals.
The fruit is orange to blackish yellow.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It can be grown outdoors in places such as Okinawa, but in regions where the temperature falls to 10°C or below, grow it in a pot and keep it indoors in winter.
It prefers a sunny spot, but direct summer sun can scorch the leaves, so move it to partial shade.
Plant it in well-drained soil; from spring to autumn water after the soil surface has dried, and in winter, when growth stops, water sparingly.
Overwatering causes root rot.
Because leaves emerge only from the top of the trunk, cutting off that part prevents new shoots and the plant dies.
Remove old leaves after they have withered.
Apply liquid fertilizer from spring to autumn, but withhold fertilizer if you do not want the plant to grow large.
When roots appear from the bottom of the pot, repot into a pot one size larger before the plant becomes root-bound.
Aphids and scale insects may appear.

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