Acrocomia crispa

Known as the Cuban belly palm or corojo, Acrocomia crispa is a spiny feather palm found only in Cuba, where it grows in dry forest and savanna on limestone. Its trunk is unlike that of any other Caribbean palm: slim at the base, it swells halfway up into a water-storing belly almost three times as thick, then narrows again beneath a dense crown of arching leaves.

Many growers still know it as Gastrococos crispa. Slow to germinate and slow to start, it is a spectacular collector's palm that rewards patience.

At a glance

• Native range: Cuba (endemic)
• Mature size: a single trunk to about 10–12 m
• Growth rate: very slow for the first years, then surprisingly fast once the trunk begins to form
• Light: full sun, with as much summer heat as possible
• Water: generous watering suits it, although established plants are drought tolerant thanks to deep roots
• Cold hardiness: brief frosts of about −2 to −3 °C once mature; young plants are tender
• Indoors / outdoors: an outdoor palm for warm, frost-free or near frost-free sites

Care

Plant it in a sunny, well-drained spot that collects summer heat, and water generously during the growing season. Young plants should be protected from anything more than a short cold spell. The palm never suckers and the trunk and leaves are armed with spines, so site it away from paths and handle it with care.

Why Palmpedia: Raised in our Almeirim greenhouse in Portugal and supplied in 15 L to 35 L pots.