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Copernicia prunifera
Also called Carnauba palm, Wax Palm, Carnaúba Palm
Carnauba wax palm is a tall, slow-growing fan palm from the dry northeast of Brazil, prized for the wax on its leaves. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil and tolerates long droughts.
Copernicia prunifera or the carnaúba palm or carnaubeira palm (Portuguese pronunciation: [kaʁnaˈubɐ]) is a species of palm tree native to northeastern Brazil (mainly the states of Ceará, Piauí, Maranhão, Rio Grande do Norte and Bahia). Known by many as 'tree of life' because of its many uses, the Carnaúba is also the symbol tree of Ceará. The initiative to use it as a symbol vies to promote its conservation and sustainable use.
It withstands drought well. A slightly saline composition in the soil produces the best trees.
It is the source of carnauba wax, which is harvested as a natural coating from the surface of the leaves of the tree. The fruit and pith are eaten, the leaves are variously utilized and the wood is a construction material.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Copernicia prunifera by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
