Additional Information: The Copernicia Alba is an elegant Florida palm tree yielding a wax. It is very similar to its cousin the Carnauba wax palm (Copernicia Prunifera). It has a thin, gray trunk and stiff, massive, fan-shaped bright green or bluish leaves. The Carnaday palm grows up to a mature height of 30 feet. In the wild it often branches naturally.

Common names: Wax palm, Caranday Wax palm, Palma Blanca, Palma Negra, Palma Colorada, Palma Espinillo, Water Palm

Growth rate: The Florida palm has slow growth rate.

Habitat: The Copernicia palm is native to South America (Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina). In its native habitat the palm grows in floodplains.

Maintenance: This Florida palm grows well in full sun to light shade. It requires regular watering and good drainage. It is drought and flood-tolerant. This Florida palm tree is hardy to 24-26 F. It is the most cold-resistant of all Copernicia species. It can be grown in zones 9 to 11.

Uses: In its native habitat the Carnaday wax palm is used as the secondary source of industrial wax (the first source is the Carnauba wax palm).

In Florida these plants  are used as landscape specimens. These Florida palms can be used as focal points or in mass plantings.

Return to Florida Palm main page.