Cocos nucifera (Coconut)

Common Names: Coconut, Coconut Palm

Botanical Name: Cocos nucifera L.

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

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.

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.