What is carnauba?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
March 2, 2004
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Golden Lotus Hardy Banana, Hardy Banana—>Click here.
The carnaubeira or carnauba palm (Copernicia prunifera (Miller) H.E. Moore) is native to northeastern Brazil. The palm grows to about 14 meters (45 feet) in height; the leaves bases are retained on the trunk giving it a spiraled appearance. The fronds (leaves) have a petiole about one meter in length; the blade is almost round with its edge divided into 40 to 60 segments.
The carnauba palm fronds are protected on both surfaces from drying by a thick cuticle of wax. The wax is unique; it is the hardest of all the natural waxes. It does not become cloudy or hazy and it provides a beautiful shine. Although the palm can grow in many locations, in northeastern Brazil it produces the best carnauba wax.
The wax does not need any special chemistry to separate it from the frond. The fronds are cut from the palm and may be chopped into pieces. The fronds are allowed to dry and then beaten. The wax flakes off. The flakes are formed into blocks for shipping to manufacturers.
Known as the finest of car polishes, carnauba does not react with dried paint and protects the car's finish by resisting dirt and pollutants, refracting UV radiation, and sealing the paint away from moisture and corrosives.
But carnauba is in numerous products used every day. Carnauba is the base of fine furniture polish and hardwood floor wax, the coating used to make paper cups and cardboard water resistant, is the shine and protection in shoe polishes and waxes, and allows the dental floss to slide easier between the teeth.
Carnauba prevents the loss of water from the palm frond; it also prevents skin from drying and chapping in the wind. It is in lip balm and lipstick, added to lotions, and makes makeup easier to apply. It keeps eye and lip liners shiny and fresh-looking. A thin coat of the wax prevents apples and other fruit from drying and slows spoilage. Carnauba makes candies like jelly beans gleam. It even changed the way we heard the world. Carnauba was the wax of the wax cylinders that made the very first audio recordings.
The Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia have photographs of and some interesting information about the carnauba palm. To view the page, click on the link:
http://www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/Copernicia/prunifera.html
(Compiled from: "Copernicia", Hortus Third, Staff of L.H. Bailey Hortorium, New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, MacMillan, NY, 1976; Palms and Cycads of the World, Lynette Stewart, Angus & Robertson Publication, 1994; and DriveWerks)
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Suggested Reading:
What palm produces ivory? Weird Plants - May 13, 2004
What is a toddy? What's in a Name? - January 2, 2004
What palm has more uses than any other plant? Plants that Changed History - November 20, 2001
What was the drunken date palm? Herbal Folklore - December 29, 2003
How was the spiny gru-gru utilized? Herbal Folklore - January 3, 2005
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Modern Marvels: Failed Inventions DVD
The History Channel®
They all look good on the drawing board, but most inventions fall by the wayside at some point along the road to reality. MODERN MARVELSŪ profiles some of the bold visions, noble failures and close calls that dot the history of invention.
Start with the cars--cars that fly, cars that float, cars with jet engines. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Here are homes that look like nothing you've ever seen and clothes too strange for even the most radical fashion runway, including rocket belts and radium-infused garments. Some of these creations were too far ahead of their time, and others were just plain bad ideas, but there's a fascinating tale behind each one, and FAILED INVENTIONS celebrates those occasions when necessity mothers a notion that only its creator could love.
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Mothers of Invention DVD
The History Channel®
Ask someone to name an inventor and they'll likely offer up Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, or Alexander Graham Bell. Great men all--but all men. Why are there no female inventors? There are, of course, and MOTHERS OF INVENTION tells their tales. Meet Beulah Henry, who earned the sobriquet ""the lady Edison."" Among her 49 patents were an ice cream freezer and a ""Kiddie Clock"" for teaching tots to tell time. At least she was able to get patents: until the suffrage movement gained steam, patents, as a form of property, were often not granted to women, going to their husbands or fathers instead!
Though the legal world has caught up, women inventors are still outpaced by their male counterparts, but the number and impact of these innovators is growing, and they stand on the shoulders of the trailblazers whose stories are told here.
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Thomas Edison DVD
A&E/Biography®
Life in the modern world would be unthinkable without his inventions. More than any other individual, he paved the way for the future.
Thomas Alva Edison has rightly earned a place among the most important men in history. His inventions the light bulb, phonograph and movie camera, among many others literally transformed the world. But countless myths have sprung up around Edison, and his private life was a marked contrast to his success as an inventor.
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This BIOGRAPHY reveals the complete story, from the long quest to develop the light bulb to the devastating affect his fame had on his home life. Hear Edison's great-grandson speculate that the inventor's self-absorption led his first wife to commit suicide, and learn the truth about his supposed lack of schooling. Rare films made by Edison himself show the inventor at work, and Edison scholars tell the little known stories behind some of his 1,049 patents. From his Midwestern childhood to international acclaim, this is the fascinating story of "the Wizard of Menlo Park."
BIOGRAPHY: Thomas Edison DVD, Click here.
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Alexander Graham Bell: Voice of Invention DVD
A&E/Biography®
His drive to help his deaf mother communicate led to one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. But the telephone was only one of many notable contributions he made to fields ranging from medicine to aviation.
Alexander Graham Bell left his mark on the world with the invention of the telephone. But he might have been a footnote in history if not for his lawyer, who filed for the patent a mere two hours before his rival Elisha Gray, who had also unraveled the mysteries of communicating by wire.
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From his childhood in Scotland and his long struggle to get out from under his father's shadow to the invention of the precursors to the X-ray machine and Iron Lung, BIOGRAPHY® traces the life of the famed inventor.
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Hardy Blue Fan Palm
Springhill Nursery®
Deeply divided, 3' palm leaves have a silvery-blue waxy sheen.
This variety is rarer and hardier than its green cousin. A slow-growing plant, it makes an excellent specimen for a large container on a patio or deck.
Chamaerops humilis var. cerifera
Shipped in 4" pot. Zone 7 to 10
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Unique Characteristics: Deeply divided large palm leaves up to 3' across in a striking silvery blue color. The silver blue sheen comes from the waxy film on the leaves. This silver variety is much more rare than its green cousin, Chamaerops humilis and a bit hardier. Tough durable plant that is slow growing making it an excellent specimen for large containers on a patio or deck.
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Hardy Chusan Palm
Springhill Nursery®
This hardy 15-35' tropical palm can withstand temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Circular, 3' wide leaves are beautifully segmented and arranged in a symmetrical crown.
A highly ornamental tree, it makes an excellent feature planting for a highly visible area or as part of a Mediterranean garden.
Trachycarpus fortunei
Shipped in 4" pot. Zone 7 to 10
Hardy Chusan Palm Ships In The Spring
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Unique Characteristics: Tropical palm that can withstand temperatures as low as 10 degrees F. Highly ornamental palm perfect for a feature planting in a highly visible area. Enjoy tropical looking leaves to create a mediterranean garden. Does not like extremely hot, dry locations as one might think. Can also be planted in large containers. Native to China.
Additional Information: Photo used in the catalog with snow covered palm was taken north of Olympia Washington, January 1998.
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Hardy Evergreen Bamboo
Springhill Nursery®
This vigorous grower has dark gray-green canes with narrow blades.
The dense dark green foliage on erect 18-30' stems makes it an excellent choice for privacy hedges. Holds its dark green color even under harsh winter conditions.
Phyllostachys bissetii
Shipped in 3" pot. Zone 5 to 9.
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Unique Characteristics: One of the hardiest bamboos for the northern gardener. First to send up shoots (culms) in spring time. Tall sturdy culms are a rich green and hollow inside. This bamboo grows into a dense grove or screen, perfect to create a private area in your landscape. Maintains dark emerald green appearance even in the harshest winters.
Additional Information: Named after David Bissett, Superintendent of USDA Plant Introductions Station, Savannah Georgia, 1924-1957.
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Golden Lotus Hardy Banana
Springhill Nursery®
A cold-hardy ornamental that produces large, waxy yellow blooms in summer that can last up to 9 months in warm climates.
Upright-growing leaves usually reach a maximum height of 4-6 feet. The blooms eventually produce ornamental, inedible bananas. Makes a unique container planting!
Musella lasiocarpa
Shipped in 4" pot. Zone 7 to 10.
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Unique Characteristics: Grown for the fascinating form, foliage and unique flowers. Large yellow, waxy blooms appear in summer and can last up to 9 months on the plant in warm climates. The blooms eventually produce banana fruit which is ornamental but not edible. The leaves, trunk, flowering and fruiting stem grow on the top surface of underground rhizomes while the root grow from the underside of the rhizomes. Each plant is capable of producing up to 10 sucker type plants from the rhizomatous root during its life cycle.
Additional Information: Thought to once be extinct in its native China habitat. Now proving to be a unique and colorful addition to the landscape and container gardening.
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Hardy Banana
Springhill Nursery®
Bring the Tropics to your garden! With winter mulching, you can grow this impressive small tree even where temps drop to -20 degrees.
Grows 8-10' tall with an equal spread. The Hardy Banana has pale yellow, springtime flowers are followed by decorative (inedible) yellowish-green fruit in summer.
Musa basjoo
Shipped in 4" pot. Zone 5 to 10.
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Unique Characteristics: A large, impressive tropical looking plant that can be grown in the north. This Hardy Banana can be grown in regions where the winter temperatures can reach as low as minus 20 degrees F. Does not produce edible fruit.
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