where is this plant found?
It is native to northeastern Brazil (mainly the states of Ceará, Piauí, Maranhão, Rio Grande do Norte and Bahia).
Copernicia prunifera
 native to northeastern Brazil (mainly the states of Ceará, Piauí, Maranhão, Rio Grande do Norte and Bahia).
what is the scale insect? They are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. are they pests? Yes,  crop pests. what are the various stages of their life? They develop from the egg through a first instar (crawler) stage and a second instar stage before becoming adult. what do they look like? They  vary dramatically in appearance, from very small organisms (1–2 mm) that grow beneath wax covers (some shaped like oysters, others like mussel shells), to shiny pearl-like objects (about 5 mm), to animals covered with mealy wax. what is that substance of which the covers are made? They secrete a waxy coating for defence, making them resemble reptilian or fish scales, and giving them their common name. are insects the only source of this substance, or are there other sources as well? No, they can be obtained from plants and animals as well. The best known animal wax is beeswax. Lanolin is a wax obtained from wool can you name such a  plant source? The most important plant wax is carnauba wax, a hard wax obtained from the Brazilian palm "Copernicia prunifera". please describe the plant. It can grow up to 20 m height with an average 25 cm diameter trunk, circular tree crown, with fan-leaves measuring 1.5 m, bisexual flowers and small black round fruits (2.5 cm). what are its uses? The fruit and pith are eaten, the leaves are variously utilized and the wood is a construction material.
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Copernicia prunifera [SEP] Introduction
Copernicia prunifera or the carnaúba palm or carnaubeira palm () is a species of palm tree native to northeastern Brazil (mainly the states of Ceará, Piauí, Maranhão, Rio Grande do Norte and Bahia). Known by many as 'tree of life' because of its many uses, the Carnaúba is also the symbol tree of Ceará. The initiative to use it as a symbol vies to promote its conservation and sustainable use.