Biology: Wax Palm Tree

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Cocora valley with wax palms.

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The tallest palm in the world. The palm is native to the Andean high altitude valley of Cocora in the department of Quindío, northwest Colombia. The wax palm grows up to 50 m (rarely to 60 m) tall in good growing conditions. The trunk is cylindrical, smooth, light colored and covered with wax, When the leaves die they fall and this forms a dark ring around the trunk.

The palm faced extinction due to human action. The wax of the trunk was used to make candles, until the introduction of electricity a few decades ago.