''Hyophorbe'' is a genus of five known species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Arecaceae The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...

, native to the

Mascarene Islands The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of the islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Thei ...

in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

. All five species can attain heights of over 6 meters, and two of the species develop swollen trunks that have made them popular as ornamentals,World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: ''Hyophorbe''
/ref> but all of them are endangered in the wild. It contains the following species: # ''

Hyophorbe amaricaulis ''Hyophorbe amaricaulis'' (also known as the "loneliest palm") is a species of palm tree of the order Arecales, family Arecaceae, subfamily Arecoideae, tribe Chamaedoreeae. It is found exclusively on the island of Mauritius, and only a single su ...

'' Mart. –

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

, 1 individual left # ''

Hyophorbe indica ''Hyophorbe indica'', known commonly as palmier bâtard, palmiste poison, or champagne palm, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is endemic to the island of Réunion. It is threatened by habitat loss. Description The t ...

'' Gaertn. (palmiste poison) –

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

# ''

Hyophorbe lagenicaulis ''Hyophorbe lagenicaulis'', the bottle palm or palmiste gargoulette, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is native to Round Island, Mauritius. Description Bottle palm has a large swollen (sometimes bizarrely so) trunk. ...

'' (L.H.Bailey) H.E.Moore (bottle palm) –

# ''

Hyophorbe vaughanii ''Hyophorbe vaughanii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae that is endemic to Mauritius. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. Description The plant has prominent rings on the trunk and arch-like leaves ...

'' L.H.Bailey –

# ''

Hyophorbe verschaffeltii ''Hyophorbe verschaffeltii'', the palmiste marron or spindle palm, is a critically endangered species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is endemic to Rodrigues island, Mauritius, but is widely grown in cultivation. Description T ...

'' H.Wendl. (palmiste marron) – Rodrigues Island

Species galleryC.Lewis, Barboza, N. (2000). ''ldentity of the Hyophorbe Palms at the Botanical Garden of Cienfuegos, Cuba'' Palms 44. p.95.

File:Hyophorbe-amaricaulis.JPG, The last surviving specimen of ''

''. This species has a slender, unswollen trunk. File:Hyophorbe indica dsc03778.jpg, ''

'' is another slender-trunk species, but often with yellow veins along its foliage. File:Hyophorbe lagenicaulis F.jpg, ''

'' is known as the "bottle palm" as it trunks swells from near the base, into a bottle shape. File:1 Habit of adult Hyophorbe verschaffeltii -Grande Montagne Rodrigues.jpg, ''

'' is known as the "spindle palm" as its trunk swells in the middle. It has black fruits and yellow-green foliage.

References

Endemic flora of the Mascarene Islands Arecaceae genera Afrotropical realm flora Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{palm-stub