Get 50% off al spring bulbs!
Share your pictures? Hide split images
I have read and agree the terms and conditions of service.

Copernicia hospita - Caranda Palm

Copernicia hospita
Caranda Palm, Wax Palm

1,0/5
0 reviews
0 reviews
0 reviews
0 reviews
1 reviews

Sold a naked young plant that could never have grown anyway since it was tiny! Ordered 3 palm trees => 3 dead plants, very poor quality.

prenom, 29/08/2021

Leave a review →

Schedule delivery date,

and select date in basket

This plant carries a 24 months recovery warranty

More information

A medium-sized palm tree, of rare beauty, but frost-sensitive. It develops a short and rather thin trunk that supports a spread-out crown composed of rigid fan-shaped leaves, of a stunning waxen white-blue that appears almost supernatural. The plant has a rather slow growth and requires full sun and warmth. A very beautiful species, which will be welcomed in a large pot, protected from frost in winter.
Height at maturity
7 m
Spread at maturity
4 m
Exposure
Sun
Hardiness
Hardy down to -1°C
Soil moisture
Dry soil, Moist soil
plantfit-full

Does this plant fit my garden?

Set up your Plantfit profile →

Best planting time April to May
Recommended planting time March to June
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Flowering time July
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Description

Copernicia hospita is very rare in cultivation. It is a rather extraordinary palm tree, considered by collectors as the most spectacular American species. This plant surprises with the design and colour of its large leaves: they form a kind of wheel, with segments covered with a white-blue wax that reflects light like metallic rays. The entire foliage, arranged in a bouquet on a rather thin trunk, composes one of the most beautiful plants imaginable. It is a frost-sensitive plant that loves the sun and heat. It should be cultivated in a large pot that will adorn the terrace or balcony during the summer.

 

Copernicia hospita belongs to the family of araecae. It is native to the coastal regions of Cuba, where it is found in savannas and on the edge of dry forests or near mangroves. Its trunk, called a stipe, is solitary, rather short, cylindrical, light brown-grey in colour and smooth, but covered with remnants of old petioles. It can reach 30 cm (11.8 in) in diameter on old specimens. In nature, the plant very slowly reaches 7 m (23 ft) in height and 4 m (13 ft 1 in) in width. Grown in a container, it does not exceed 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in all directions. At the top of the stipe, a crown develops with up to 40 large leaves called fronds, which can exceed 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) in width under natural conditions. They are circular and spread out like fans, their leaves are divided into a large number of narrow and rigid segments, covered with a waxy film that gives them an astonishing white-blue colour. Flowering only occurs on mature subjects, and very rarely. It takes the form of delicate brown flowers emerging from the leaves. This Copernicia is monoecious, the flowers are hermaphroditic, both male and female. The fruits resemble black balls with a diameter of 2.5 cm (1 in).

 

Copernicia hospita is a collector's plant, a beauty to be enjoyed or to be given to an enthusiast of rare species. It is grown in large pots that can be placed on the terrace during the summer and stored in a cold greenhouse in winter. Like all palm trees, it is sometimes difficult to associate due to its strong personality: reserve a corner of a pool and surround it with architectural plants such as Dasylirion, Beschorneria, Phormium, and agaves.

Copernicia hospita - Caranda Palm in pictures

Copernicia hospita - Caranda Palm (Foliage) Foliage

Plant habit

Height at maturity 7 m
Spread at maturity 4 m
Habit stalk
Growth rate slow

Flowering

Flower colour insignificant
Flowering time July
Fruit colour black

Foliage

Foliage persistence Evergreen
Foliage colour grey or silver

Botanical data

Genus

Copernicia

Species

hospita

Family

Arecaceae

Other common names

Caranda Palm, Wax Palm

Origin

Central America

Product reference898931

Planting and care

This Copernicia hospita palm tree needs a lot of sun from a young age. It is a frost-sensitive plant, which perishes below -2°C (28.4 °F). Plant it in a large pot to protect it from the cold in winter. Not demanding in terms of soil, this palm tree can tolerate both dry and wet soils, if they are properly drained. It requires little maintenance, except for pruning the oldest leaves close to the trunk.

Pot cultivation:

Choose a very large pot or container, with a perforated base and a capacity of 50 to 75 litres. Prepare a mixture composed of 50% loamy soil, 25% regular potting soil, and 25% sand. Mix well. Partially fill your container, after placing a drainage layer at the bottom (clay pellets, gravel, broken terracotta pots...). Place your palm tree on the mixture, making sure that the neck (the area where the roots originate) is not above the surface but is not buried too deep either. Add the rest of the mixture around the root ball, firmly compacting it. Water in multiple stages to saturate the substrate with water and eliminate air pockets. Indoors, place your palm tree in a very bright location and limit watering in winter. Outdoors, gradually acclimate it to full sun. Water regularly in summer. Provide green plant fertilizer in spring and summer.

 

 

 

Planting period

Best planting time April to May
Recommended planting time March to June

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow
Type of use Free-standing, Container, Greenhouse, Conservatory
Hardiness Hardy down to -1°C (USDA zone 10a) Show map
Ease of cultivation Amateur
Planting density 1 per m2
Exposure Sun
Soil pH Neutral, Any
Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light)
Soil moisture Dry soil, Moist soil, ordinary, but well-drained, and light.

Care

Pruning instructions Remove the old and damaged leaves.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year
Pruning time April to May
Soil moisture Dry soil, Moist soil
Disease resistance Average
Overwinter Needs to be stored
1/5
No reviews
No reviews
No reviews
No reviews

Haven't found what you were looking for?

We only deliver seed and bulb products to your country. If you add other products to your basket, they cannot be shipped.