Copernicia is a genus of palms native to South America and the Greater Antilles. Of the known species and nothospecies (hybrids), 22 of the 27 are endemic to Cuba. They are fan palms, with the leaves with a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of numerous leaflets. The species are small to medium-sized trees growing to 5–30 m tall, typically occurring close to streams and rivers in savanna habitats. 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.
Copernicia baileyana (yarey) is a palm which is endemic to eastern and central Cuba. Like other members of this genus, C. baileyana is a fan palm. Trees are 10 to 20 metres tall with stems 40 centimetres in diameter and are sometimes swollen. The fruit is black, 1.8 to 2.3 centimetres long and 1.8 to 2 cm in diameter.
Copernicia berteroana is a palm which is endemic to Hispaniola; it is also reported from Curaçao and Venezuela, but it is probably naturalized there.
Copernicia brittonorum is a palm which is endemic to western and west central Cuba.
Copernicia cowellii is a palm which is endemic to Camagüey Province, Cuba.
Copernicia curbeloi is a palm which is endemic to Cuba.
Copernicia curtissii is a palm which is endemic to Cuba.
Copernicia ekmanii is a palm which is endemic to northern Haiti.
Copernicia gigas is a palm which is endemic to eastern Cuba.
Copernicia glabrescens is a palm which is endemic to western and west central Cuba.
Copernicia hospita is a palm which is endemic to Cuba.
Copernicia humicola is a palm which is endemic to Cuba.
Copernicia longiglossa is a palm which is endemic to eastern Cuba.
Copernicia macroglossa, is a species of palm endemic to western and central Cuba.
Copernicia molineti is a palm which is endemic to Cuba.
Copernicia rigida is a type of palm endemic to eastern and central Cuba.
Copernicia roigii is a palm which is endemic to Cuba.
Copernicia yarey is a palm which is endemic to Cuba.
Trachycarpeae is a tribe of palms in subfamily Coryphoideae of the plant family Arecaceae. It has the widest distribution of any tribe in Coryphoideae and is found on all continents, though the greatest concentration of species is in Southeast Asia. Trachycarpeae includes palms from both tropical and subtropical zones; the northernmost naturally-occurring palm is a member of this tribe. Several genera can be found in cultivation in temperate areas, for example species of Trachycarpus, Chamaerops, Rhapidophyllum and Washingtonia.
