Copernicia hospita - Caranda Palm

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.