Coconut tree

Coconut palms are found in tropical coastal areas nearly worldwide and probably originated somewhere in Indo-Malaya. They are the most economically important palm species, coconuts being one of the predominant crops of the tropics. coconut palm, (Cocos nucifera), palm of the family Arecaceae, cultivated extensively in tropical areas for its edible fruit, the coconut.Coconut fruits float readily and have been dispersed widely by ocean currents and by humans throughout the tropics. Physical description The slender, leaning, ringed trunk of the coconut palm rises to a height of up to 25 metres (80 feet) from a swollen base and is surmounted by a graceful crown of giant featherlike leaves. Mature fruits, ovoid or ellipsoid in shape, 300–450 mm (12–18 inches) in length and 150–200 mm (6–8 inches) in diameter, have a thick fibrous husk surrounding the familiar single-seeded nut of commerce. A hard shell encloses the insignificant embryo with its abundant endosperm, composed of both meat and liquid.Cultivation Coconut palms flourish best close to the sea on low-lying areas a few feet above high water where there is circulating groundwater and ample rainfall. Most of the world’s coconuts are produced on small native plantations. Propagation is by unhusked ripe nuts. Full bearing is obtained in 15 years. Fruits require a year to ripen; the annual yield per tree may reach 100, but 50 is considered good. Palms usually start bearing after 5 to 6 years. These are laid on their sides close together in nursery beds and almost covered with soil. After 4 to 10 months the seedlings are transplanted to the field, where they are spaced at distances of 8–10 metres (26–33 feet). Yields continue profitably until trees are about 50 years oldThe liquid of the green nut, commonly known as coconut water, can be consumed fresh and is used in beverages. The dry husk yields coir, a fibre highly resistant to salt water and used in the manufacture of ropes, mats, baskets, brushes, and brooms. Uses Coconut flesh is high in fat and can be dried or eaten fresh. The harvested coconut also yields copra, the dried extracted kernel, or meat, from which coconut oil, a major vegetable oil, is expressed. The Philippines, India, and Indonesia are major copra producers, and throughout the South Pacific copra is one of the most important export products. The meat may also be grated and usually mixed with water to make coconut milk, used in cooking and as a substitute for cow’s milk..Mature palm leaves are used in thatching and weaving baskets. The fibrous decay-resistant tree trunk is incorporated into the construction of huts; it is also exported as a cabinet wood called porcupine wood. Other useful products derived from the coconut palm include toddy, palm cabbage, and construction materials. Palm cabbage, the delicate young bud cut from the top of the tree, is, like the buds from other palms, eaten as a salad vegetable. Although the coconut finds its greatest commercial utilization in the industrial countries of the Western world, its usefulness in its native areas of culture is even greater. Toddy, a beverage drunk fresh, fermented, or distilled, is produced from the sweetish sap yielded by the young flower stalks when wounded or cut; toddy is also a source of sugar and alcohol. Indonesians claim that coconuts have as many uses as there are days in a year.Essay Writing Software Home Software Essay Shuffler Essay Shuffler Rewritten Text C. nucifera flowers approximately after the 6th year. Flowers small, light yellow, in clusters that emerge from canoe-shaped sheaths among the leaves. Three sunken holes of softer tissue, called ‘eyes’, are at one end of the nut. Leaf stalks 1-2 cm in length and thornless. Inflorescence consists of female and male axillary flowers. The nut is 2-2.5 cm in diameter and 3-4 cm long. Coconut milk is abundant in unripe fruit but is gradually absorbed as ripening proceeds. The fruits are green at first, turning brownish as they mature; yellow varieties go from yellow to brown. The generic name seems to be derived from the Portuguese ‘coco’, meaning ‘monkey’. BIOLOGY The tall varieties reproduce by cross-pollination. The interior of the nut is hollow but partially filled with a watery liquid called ‘coconut milk’. The meat is soft and jellylike when immature but becomes firm with maturity. Trunk slender and slightly swollen at the base, usually erect but may be leaning or curved. Leaves pinnate, feather shaped, 4-7m long and 1-1.5 m wide at the broadest part. Inside the shell is a thin, white, fleshy layer known as the ‘meat’. Tall selections may attain a height of 24-30 m; dwarf selections also exist. Female flowers are not usually receptive until about 3 weeks after the opening of the inflorescence, making cross-pollination the usual pattern. Male flowers open first, producing pollen for about 2 weeks. Wind is the main pollinating agent. Female flowers fewer and occasionally completely absent; larger, spherical structures, about 25 mm in diameter. Fruit roughly ovoid, up to 5 cm long and 3 cm wide, composed of a thick, fibrous husk surrounding a somewhat spherical nut with a hard, brittle, hairy shell. Female flowers are receptive about a week after the male flowers open, both ending at about the same time. Male flowers small and more numerous. BOTANIC DESCRIPTION Cocos nucifera trees have a smooth, columnar, light grey-brown trunk, with a mean diameter of 30-40 cm at breast height, and topped with a terminal crown of leaves. Reproduction in dwarf varieties is generally through self - pollination.