Copernicia alba is a South American species of palm tree, which is found in the Humid Chaco ecoregion in Bolivia, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil).. Its common names in Spanish show the various colours (and technical qualities) that its wood and/or bark takes according to its environment: palma blanca, palma negra, palma colorada (“white”, “black”, and “red” palm, respectively). In Guaraní, it is called caranday, “water palm”. Its English trade name is wax palm or caranday wax palm (it belongs to the same genus as the Carnauba wax palm). Ancient peoples in South America used wax palm for making candles by scraping away wax on the leaves. Coppernasiaalba can reach 25 m in height and 40 cm in girth. The trunk is cylindrical, rarely bifurcated, and has a grayish bark with a smooth surface in adult specimens. The leaves are persistent, grouped at the apex of the trunk, and measuring between 40 and 70 cm. The inflorescence is almost 2 m long; the flowers are hermaphroditic, about 4 mm long, with a tubular yellowish green corolla, and arranged in a spiral pattern.