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Tree Report from Medellin, Colombia
Written by the students of A
href="<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" class="external free" href="http://www.alcuadrado.com/montessori">http://www.alcuadrado.com/montessori</a>"Colegio Montessori
Class or age : Grade 4 classes

===Common Name of Tree: Wax Palm ===
===Botanical Name of Tree: ===
width=200This is a young WaxPalm in Juliana's garden. It has
not grown a trunk yet.

IMG alt=Wax Palm growing border=2 height=346
src="quindiuense/tcowax1.jpg"
width=198This is the wax palm growingin the environment it likes
- namely, the cloud forest.

===General information ===
We have chosen the Palma de Cera, also known as Wax Palm, as the tree
for our project.
Our school is on the outskirts of Medellin, in a beautiful country
setting. Medellin is Colombia's second largest city and is the capital of
Antioquia, one of the most populated departments.Medellin lies cradled
high up in the Andes in an oval-shaped bowl at an altitude of 1550 - 1800m
above sea level.Our average temperature is 24C and this has
contributed to its being called "The City of Eternal Spring". There are
about 3 million people living here, many of them high up the slopes of the
There are more than 3000 species of palms. Most of them grow in the
tropics. They like the hot climate. However, some, like the Wax Palm, grow
at higher altitudes, where the temperature is much cooler.
The Wax Palm is the highest palm tree in the world and can reach a
height of up to 70m. It has several unequaled characteristics.
IMG alt=Wax Palm in e sunset border=2
height=271
src="quindiuense/tcowax2.jpg"
src="quindiuense/tcowax8.jpg"
width=200
This tree prefers secluded areas, far from people and animals.
Exclusive to the Andes of Colombia, it grows mainly in the central
mountain range of the Departamentos del Quindio, Tolima, and Valle de
Cauca. The Valle de Cocora is known as the Cradle of the Wax Palm. This
area has become a great tourist attraction.The Wax Palm thrives best
in the Cloud Forest, at an altitude of 3150-4000m. There it grows above
the canopy. At a lower altitude (1500m and up) it is smaller in
circumference and does not reach the same height.

===Seasonal Changes ===
The Wax Palm is a tropical evergreen and looks the same all year
round, except for new growth, flowers, and fruit.
Below the branches the fruit grows in large clusters of bright red
berries that create a perfect sphere (see illustration). These clusters
are also evenly distributed around the trunk, giving the tree perfect
balance at the top. The berries all ripen at the same time and very
gradually. Fruit is produced every two years.
IMG alt=Wax Palm flowers border=2
height=188
src="quindiuense/tcowax4.jpg"

===Appearance ===
IMG alt=Bark border=2 height=125
src="quindiuense/tcowax3.jpg"
width=61Wax Palm Bark
This tree reaches heights of 60-70m. The diameter of the trunk is
relatively small, 50-60cm at its base, narrowing to about 10cm at the top.
Alternating rings of white and grey decorate the perfectly cylindrical
trunk (see illustration).
A very thin coating of wax covers it and forms a protection against
many enemies. The trunk is fibrous on the inside because the roots climb
up inside it to the crest of the palm with the dense rods perfectly
For a tree of this height the roots are very surprising. What supports the
National symbol and other species of Wax Palm is a small fibrous bulb with a
width of 2m maximum which does not extend any deeper than 1.5m.
IMG alt=Wax Palm leaf nodes border=2 height=176
src="quindiuense/tcowax5.jpg"
width=121Wax Palm branches
At the top of the unbranched trunk is a crown of leaves. A peculiar
characteristic of the foliage of this palm is the perfection of the
distribution of its branches. Without fail, five branches appear at the
same time at the perimeter of the trunk with a distance of 72degrees from
each other, making a perfect 360degree circumference. The leaves are
dark green on top and have a thick, whitish covering of a fleecy texture
IMG border=2 height=298
src="quindiuense/tcowax6.jpg"
width=200This is a young WaxPalm in Juliana's garden. It has
not grown a trunk yet.

===Seeds and Propagation ===
The seeds are scattered by birds and mammals.
Lately, man has become aware of the danger of extinction and some are
trying to propagate the seeds. However, this is a very slow process. It
takes 1 1/2 years for the seeds to sprout and 15 years before the young
tree starts to develop a trunk. Obviously, the tree is most vulnerable
during this time.
The flowers of the Wax Palm are rather unimpressive. They are small

===Life in this tree ===
src="quindiuense/am6.jpg"
width=302
Many tropical birds, especially Blackbirds, Toucans, and Parrots, take
the risk of this high altitude to devour the delicious and nutritious
fruit of this tree. It is also prized by the Spectacled Bear, a
tree-climbing variety, and by cattle, pigs, and other mammals, who like
the young plants as well. This presents a problem and is one reason why
src="quindiuense/tcobw.jpg"
width=180
However, the most dangerous enemy of the Wax Palm has been the
human who for many years cut the young trees for their branches (see
uses).
src="quindiuense/tcopalm1.jpg"
Many epiphytes use the trunk for support. All varieties of orchids
plus different types of lichens can be found at different levels along its

===Uses of this tree===
The Palma de Cera (Wax Palm) was declared the

===National Tree of Colombia===
in 1985 and at the same
time a law was passed that does not allow the cutting down of this tree.
This same law also allowed the government to acquire the terrain in
the Central Mountain Range of the Andes to create national parks for the
protection of the tree and its environment. These parks have become a
great tourist attraction.
src="quindiuense/tcopalm2.jpg"

===Religious Ceremonies===
src="quindiuense/tcop11.jpg"
In the past the branches of the tree were used in religious ceremonies
of Holy Week (Semana Santa). On Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter,
observed by Christians in remembrance of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, palm
branches were waved in joy and adoration. This custom continued each year
until it was prohibited by the Catholic Church to cut down the Wax Palm in
accordance with the law passed in 1985 by the

===Conduit for water===
The trunk of the Wax Palm has been used as a conduit for water. Being
so straight and of great length, it made an ideal pipeline.

===Fence Posts===
It was also used for fence posts and for building bridges.

===Torches===
The wood was used by the natives for torches. It was excellent for
this purpose because of the wax covering.
src="quindiuense/tcopalm3.jpg"
width=180Excursion to see Wax Palms
src="quindiuense/tcopalm4.jpg"
width=180

===Candles and soap===
Later, the wax was scraped from the trunk and processed into candles
and made into soap.There is some interest in reviving the old skills of
making soap and candles for the tourist trade.Scraping the wax from
the trunk does not harm the tree in any way.

===Medicines===
At the present time the wax is used in medicines, and as essential

===ART ===
The tree has been used extensively as a subject in art. This is
probably because of its stately beauty and its uniqueness to
Colombia.

===History and Mythology ===
border=2 height=246
src="quindiuense/tcoalejo.jpg"
The tree got its name in 1801, when two German botanists
Alexander von Humboldt and Aime Bompland, came to this continent to
study its trees and birds in detail.
In the graphic descriptions of their records can be found a tree
They chose this name because the height of the mountains where it
grows reminded them of the European Alps and because of the wax (cera)
that could be retrieved from the trunk.
Later, in 1860, Herman Karsten made a distinction between two species
of this tree and named the second Ceroxylon Quindiuense. They are known
for their long life but have become endangered and are close to
extinction.
IMG border=2 height=649
src="quindiuense/tcowax7.jpg"
width=127This is part of a poster to attract tourists to Quindio.
It shows some of the customs and colours of the area and, of course, the

===JOKES ABOUT THE WAX PALM===
Why is the Wax Palm so tall?Because it wants to see if it can see
snow anywhere.by Maria Camila and Alejandra
Why does the Wax Palm have so many rings?Because it has been
married many times.by Alejandro and Tomas
Why does the Wax Palm like being so tall?Because it plays
basketball.
Daniela was standing under the Wax Palm with her friends, Camila and
Mariana. Who got wet?Noone. It wasn't raining.by Daniela
Why does the Wax Palm have the leaves up so high?Because if they
were at its middle it would look like it was wearing a skirt.by Juan
Pablo
The contact person for this report is
"Shirley Mulder
Computer Co-ordinator :
Judith Bennett
This page was originally hosted on the
Elanora Heights School's Home Page, Sydney

===External Links:===
[https://powo.science.kew.org/results?q=Ceroxylon%20quindiuense Kew],
[https://www.palmweb.org//?q=cdm_dataportal/taxon/9aa0053f-34a1-4190-bd54-a85ad687e748 PalmWeb],
[https://e-monocot.org/taxon/urn:kew.org:wcs:taxon:37270 eMonocot],
[https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=Ceroxylon+quindiuense JSTOR],
[https://www.trebrown.com/plant_info.php?species=Ceroxylon+quindiuense Trebrown]
</p>
[https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Ceroxylon+quindiuense%22&num=10&sa=Google+Search Google],
[https://images.google.com/images?q=%22Ceroxylon+quindiuense%22&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search GoogleImages],
[https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Ceroxylon+quindiuense Flickr],
[https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Ceroxylon+quindiuense%22%20site:https://www.palmtalk.org/&sa=Google+Search PalmTalk]
<p>
[[Category:Ceroxylon|quindiuense]]
[[Category:Palm|Ceroxylon_quindiuense]]

Ceroxylon quindiuense - Revision history

P>Pacsoa at 21:57, 28 July 2024

Pacsoa: 1 revision imported