Caranday Palm

Copernicia alba

Cold Hardy

 

The Caranday Palm is also known as the Wax Palm and the Caranday Wax Palm.  Leaves range in color from light green to silver to light blue. Younger palm trees retain spiny old leaf bases that eventually fall off as the tree matures.

 

During fall, the Caranday Palm produces small white flowers 10-12 mm wide.  In the summer, flowers are followed by berry-like yellow fruits that turn black when ripe. Fruits are around 1 inch wide with a single oval seed inside. The fruits are edible, juicy and succulent, and have a sweet taste but that is followed by an astringent taste that is hard to get rid off.

 

The Caranday Palm produces wax that is actually used today for lipstick, candles and some car polishes. For the most part it grows upwards but as new leaves emerge old leaves fold over to create a unique fountain look. 

 

Specifications

 

The Caranday Palm is a slow growing palm can get up to 40 ft tall and 10-15 ft wide. The Caranday Palm in cultivation usually doesn’t grow taller than 30-40ft. 

 

Care

 

The Caranday Palm is a cold tolerant palm with a minimum temperature of 25-30 degrees F but has been known to tolerate lower temperatures when mature. 

 

The Caranday Palm enjoys light shade and will tolerate full sun with moist, well draining soil.

 

Note, the Caranday Palm has spines or sharp edges, so use extreme caution when handling and trimming. 

 

Spacing

 

The Caranday Palm has a spread of about 10-15 feet so space accordingly.

 

Landscaping with Caranday Palm

 

*  can be used as an accent tree 

*  group 3 or more with staggered heights to create a canopy