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Copernicia hospita
Copernicia hospita
COMMON NAMES
Cuban Wax Palm, Guano Palm, Cano Palm
Copernicia (koh-per-NEE-see-uh) - named for Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer and physician
hospita (HOS-pih-tah) - from the Latin for hospitable or friendly
GROUP
Monocot
FAMILY 
Most put in Arecaceae; some still have in Palmae
ORIGIN
Cuba
DESCRIPTION
Cuban Wax Palm is a palm tree that averages 25 to 30 feet in height with a 10 to 15 foot wide crown. Its habit of growth is upright with a solitary trunk and distinctive circular arc form crown. It has a slow growth rate.
Leaves are evergreen, costapalmate, about 5 feet wide, lighter green on top and silver/gray green underneath, and they have a waxy covering on the leaf surface. It has armed curved petioles from a single gray trunk.
Cuban Wax Palm flowers are hermaphroditic, small, and brown. They are borne on branched spadices that often extend beyond the foliage.
Fruit are black berries. They are about 1 inch wide.
HARDINESS
It is hardy in USDA zones 10 to 11, down to about 26 degrees F when mature.
Cold Damage on Palms – University of Florida
LIGHT
Full sun
SALT
Moderate Salt Spray Tolerance – it will tolerate some spray, but it is best to have more protection such as a fence or building as an additional barrier behind the first row of plantings or the first dunes.
SOIL
It prefers a moister well-drained soil, but it will tolerate others, even flooded soils for brief periods.
WATERING
It has good drought tolerance once established, so minimal watering is needed for survival in dry spells. As with most plants, though, ample irrigation in droughts keeps it healthier and looking better.
PROPAGATION
Seed
PRUNING
Pruning is basically limited to removal of completely dead fronds. Leaf bases can be removed if a smooth trunk look is wanted or they can be left to fall off naturally.
Pruning Palms – University of Florida
FERTILIZING
As with most palms, it is best to use a fertilizer specially blended for palms as it provides the proper nutritional balance and minor elements that are needed by the tree.
Manganese Deficiency in Palms – University of Florida
Potassium Deficiency in Palms – University of Florida
Magnesium Deficiency in Palms – University of Florida
Boron Deficiency in Palms – University of Florida
Iron Deficiency in Palms – University of Florida
Nitrogen Deficiency in Palms – University of Florida
PESTS
Palm Aphid - University of Florida
Io Moth - University of Florida
Pink Hibiscus Mealybug - University of Florida
Palm Leaf Skeletonizer - University of Florida
American Grasshopper - University of Florida
Soft Brown Scale - Coccus hesperidum - Weekend Gardener
Black Scale - University of Florida
Flatid Planthopper - University of Florida
Banana Moth - University of Florida
Awl Nematode - University of Florida
DISEASES
Calonectria (Cylindrocladium) Leaf Spot - University of Florida
Petiole (Rachis) Blight of Palm - University of Florida
Botrytis Blight or Gray Mold - Missouri Botanical Gardens
Thielaviopsis Trunk Rot - University of Florida
Ganoderma Butt Rot - University of Florida
DEER
Resistant
There are very few totally “deer-proof” plants. There are also, relatively speaking, few plants that are considered a preferred food supply of deer. Most plants fall in the big gap between. One of the biggest variables is the available preferred food supply in a given area. If their preferred food is scarce, they will munch on most anything.
OTHER
Normal “Abnormalities” in Palms – University of Florida
USES
General landscape palm – though it is not often seen commercially; specimen palm; it has uses in the production of wax
A search of California Poison Control, ASPCA, Texas A&M University, Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System, University of Wisconsin, Poisonous Houseplants and Ornamentals - Merck Vet Manual, Purdue University - Guide to Toxic Plants in Forages, Poisonous Plants of the Southeastern United States - Alabama Cooperative Extension, Florida Poison Control, and The Cat Fanciers Association did not show this plant on any of their lists.