Cocos nucifera (Coconut)
Cocos nucifera (Coconut)
Cocos nucifera (Coconut)
Cocos nucifera (Coconut)

Cocos nucifera (Coconut)

Common Names: Coconut, Coconut Palm

Botanical Name: Cocos nucifera L.

Synonyms: Calappa nucifera (L.) Kuntze, Palma cocos Mill.

Family: Arecaceae

Distribution: Central Malesia to South West Pacific.

Uses:

  • A versatile palm known for its cultural, economic, and ecological significance.
  • Provides edible fruit, water, oil, and milk widely used in cooking and beverages.
  • Coir fibers from husk used for ropes, mats, brushes, and mattresses.
  • Wood utilized for construction, furniture, and handicrafts.
  • Leaves employed for thatching roofs, weaving mats, and making brooms.
  • Shells crafted into bowls, utensils, and decorative items.
  • Serves as a source of bio-fuel and sustainable energy.
  • Plays a key role in coastal protection and erosion control.
  • Symbolizes spirituality and prosperity in various cultures.
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Cocos nucifera (Coconut Palm)

Evergreen palm tree ranging 2-30 m tall. Unbranched stem topped by rosette of pinnate leaves, 1.8-4.5 m long; leaflets equidistant, linear-lanceolate, 60-90 cm, coriaceous; petiole stout, 90-150 cm. Numerous yellow unisexual flowers present in spadix. Fruit obovoid or subglobose, 20-30 cm, with fibrous husk surrounding woody shell containing coconut meat, milk, and oil.

Cultivation: Full sun, salt-tolerant, adaptable to various soils; propagated by seeds.

Etymology: The genus name “Cocos” is derived from the Portuguese or Spanish word coco, meaning smiling or grinning face a reference to the three germination pores on the coconut that resemble a face. The species epithet “nucifera” is Latin, where nux means nut and fero means bearing, together meaning nut-bearing, which aptly describes the coconut palm.

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