Coconut
Conservation status: Secure | Coconut Palm | | Kingdom: | Plantae | Division: | Magnoliophyta | Class: | Liliopsida | Order: | Arecales | Family: | Arecaceae | Genus: | Cocos | Species: | C. nucifera | | Binomial name | Cocos nucifera
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The Coconut Palm(Cocos nucifera), is a member of the familyArecaceae (palm family). It is the only species in the genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnateleaves 4-6 m long, with pinnae 60-90 cm long; old leaves fall cleanly leaving the trunk smooth. The term coconut refers to the fruit of the coconut palm.
Origins and Cultivation
The origins of this plant are the subject of debate with some authorities claiming it is native to southeast Asia, while others claim its origin is in north-western South America. Fossil records from New Zealandindicate that small coconut-like plants grew there as far back 15 million years ago. Even older fossils have been uncovered in Rajasthan,India. Regardless of their origins, coconuts have spread across much of the tropics, in particular along tropical shorelines. Since its fruit is light and buoyant, the plant is readily spread by marine currents, which can carry coconuts significant distances.
The Coconut palm thrives on sandy soils and is highly tolerant of salinity and prefers areas with abundant sunlight and regular rainfall (75-200 cm annually), which makes colonising the many shorelines of the tropics relatively straightforward. Coconuts also need high air humidity for optimum growth (70–80%+), which is why they are rarely seen in areas with low humidity (e.g. the Mediterranean), even where temperatures are not a problem. They are very hard to establish and grow in drier climates. Fruits collected from the sea as far north as Norway have been found to be viable and have subsequently germinated given the right conditions. In