Copernicia
Encyclopedia
Copernicia is a genus
of 24 species of palms
, native to South America
and the Caribbean
. They are fan palms (Arecaceae tribe Corypheae), with the leaves
with a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of numerous leaflets. The species are small to medium-sized tree
s growing to 5-30 m tall, typically occurring close to streams and rivers in savanna
habitats.
Species and hybrids
The genus is named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus
.
In some of the species, the leaves are coated with a thin layer of wax
, known as carnauba wax
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of 24 species of palms
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
, native to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. They are fan palms (Arecaceae tribe Corypheae), with the leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
with a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of numerous leaflets. The species are small to medium-sized tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s growing to 5-30 m tall, typically occurring close to streams and rivers in savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
habitats.
Species and hybrids
|
Copernicia humicola Copernicia humicola is a palm which is endemic to Cuba.... Copernicia longiglossa Copernicia longiglossa is a palm which is endemic to eastern Cuba.... Copernicia macroglossa Copernicia macroglossa is a palm which is endemic to western and central Cuba.... Copernicia molineti Copernicia molineti is a palm which is endemic to Cuba.... Copernicia rigida Copernicia rigida is a type of palm endemic to eastern and central Cuba. east and central Cuba.... Copernicia roigii Copernicia roigii is a palm which is endemic to Cuba.... Copernicia tectorum Copernicia tectorum is a palm which is native to Colombia and northern Venezuela, where it is known as palma llanera.... Copernicia yarey Copernicia yarey is a palm which is endemic to Cuba.... |
The genus is named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance astronomer and the first person to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe....
.
In some of the species, the leaves are coated with a thin layer of wax
Wax
thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...
, known as carnauba wax
Carnauba wax
Carnauba , also called Brazil wax and palm wax, is a wax of the leaves of the palm Copernicia prunifera, a plant native to and grown only in the northeastern Brazilian states of Piauí, Ceará, and Rio Grande do Norte. It is known as "queen of waxes" and usually comes in the form of hard yellow-brown...
.