| Hyophorbe verschaffeltii | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Hyophorbe |
| Species: | H. verschaffeltii |
| Binomial name | |
| Hyophorbe verschaffeltii H.A. Wendl. |
|
Hyophorbe verschaffeltii, the Palmiste Marron, or Spindle Palm is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.
Spindle Palms are elegant looking palms that are prized for landscape palms in the tropical and semi-tropical areas of the world. They are fairly short palms with 8-10 leaves that are held somewhat erect. Spindle palms have a crownshaft that becomes a light gray-green as the palm ages. Horn-like flower spikes emerge from below the crownshaft on mature specimens.
Spindle palms are fairly cold intolerant. They are defoliated at 32°F (0°C) and may be killed at anything below that. If the palm does survive a freeze, the next few emerging leaves are stunted. Spindle palms grow in the USA only in south Florida and in isolated favored microclimates in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area and the Cape Canaveral area of central Florida. They do make good container plants that can be protected from a freeze.
Spindle Palms are endemic to Rodrigues island, Mauritius. It is threatened by habitat loss.[1] There are only fifty or so specimens left in the wild, although its survival as a species is guaranteed due to ubiquitous cultivation in tropical areas of the planet.