Here's a pic of my bottle....very cold hardy and tolerates any climate and conditions...even the freezer for short durations.

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That's what I'm talking about! This is what I have to look forward to... Some say the bottle shape is more pronounced when the palm is grown constricted in a pot but I have to think that would slow overall growth of the palm and the ability to mature. I've seen plenty of fat bottles grown directly in the ground. Longwood, do you know how old yours is?

LOL @ptmcclan

I love the look of that Hyophorbe lagenicaulis var "Corona".
I have 2 bottle palms, one is only about 15" tall yet and this is the older one. I bought it a couple of years ago down in the Keys when we were down diving and hauled it back. Mine is of course in the greenhouse, not cold hardy here in North FL. The first photo is from August 2006, the second is from before that, somewhere about March 2006.
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That's been in the ground for about 14 years, and was about 5-10 years old when bought.

I have seen some REALLY fat bottle-based bottle palms for sale--and they have been in 25 gallon containers. Perhaps the root constriction and nursery conditions (lots of water and fertilxier that drain out fast) promote the formation of much more pronounced bases.

Of course, the more accentuated bottle bases, the more the palm nursery can ask $$.

I"ve come across another attractive "bottley" palm with a very nice rounded base in their youth--Gaussia princeps.

A lot tougher to find, but palm specialty nurseies have them, they are worth the $$.