PlantFiles: Caranday Palm, Wax Palm
Copernicia alba

This is one of the only Copernicias that do well in So Cal. at least so far. C. prunifera, the Carnuba Wax Palm, also does pretty well, but is slower (some consider it the same species anyway). Though it is easily the fastest growing of the Copernicias, that is a relative term... it is still a slow palm. It has some incredibly, viciously sharp teeth along its teeth that can shred your skin easily, so beware when trimming. The trunk is highly ornamental when trimmed with the short, unsplit leave bases dotting it.

In Thailand this is an extremely commonly grown landscape palm. There it is a relatively fast palm, and easy to dig up and move about.

One of the problems with common names, and one reason I am so ignorant about them (I purposely try not to attach a common name to a palm) is so many palms share the same common names. I had never heard Trithrinax campestris refered to as the Cananday palm before, but apparently it, too, is called that. Obviously a different palm altogether, though (suckers, blue leaves and visciously tipped leaflets).

This is a very attractive small palm. Its fronds have a silver or blue cast that nicely contrasts with its chocolate brown stem. If the boots are properly pruned and shaped, it is a fantastic addition to any landscape--a true conversation piece. Also of interest, perhaps, it's a close relative of the palm that produces carnuba wax [Copernicia prunifera], but much better looking!