Coconut trees are members of the Arecaceae family. There are over 150 coconut species throughout the world.
Coconuts only grow in tropical climates.
They require a lot of sunlight and regular rains and live in sandy soil. Trees cannot tolerate cold temperatures or low percent humidity.
Insect attacks on plants can reduce harvest values worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Because coconut is packed with nutrients and vitamins, it is a part of a healthy diet.
Other things a coconut products include wood products, beauty products, and fuel.
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Coconut Tree Facts for Kids
- It is a large palm tree average height is 50 to 60 feet
- Coconut trees provide the coconuts that are harvested.
- Coconut is a very popular fruit.
- Coconut is not a nut. It’s a drupe or simple a fleshy fruit
- Some people use trained monkeys to collect coconuts.
- It is estimated that a coconut palm tree can produce 75 fruits in a year.
- If you eat a coconut, you’re actually eating the coconut seed.
- It is possible to imitate the sound of horses’ hoofbeats by striking half coconut shells together.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil comes from the nuts, seeds, and milk of the coconut. In addition to being an important food oil, it is used in a variety of industrial applications as well.
Some health authorities suggest limiting the intake of coconut oil because of its high levels of saturated fat.
Dried Coconut
Compared with dairy, dry coconut is higher in saturated fat.
There is no cholesterol contained in this food, and it is also very low in sodium.
Researchers claim that the manganese in the coconut is good for healthy bones and skin and helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
Coconut Water
Coconut water is a liquid found in the center of large young coconuts.
While maturing, some of the coconut juice remains in liquid form while most of the rest turns to solid white meat.
The water contains hardly any fat and 94% water in the fruit. Coconut milk is made by adding water to grated coconut meat.
The milk consists of about 50% water and is high in fat. It takes between 10 and 12 months for coconuts to become fully mature.
Typically, water that comes from young coconuts about 6 to 7 months old. One cup of coconut water is typically found in a large green coconut.
Coconut Tree
The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is the only palm that produces coconuts.
Nevertheless, within that single species, there are many cultivars of coconut that fall under different types and groups. There are over 100 different species of coconuts.
There are no branches on a coconut tree. Large, green feather-shaped leaves adorn the top of the trunk.
There are some leaves that are large enough to accommodate people lying down on comfortably.
Coconuts hang like green-yellow balloons just below the crown leaves.
The benefits of coconut palm are countless Coconut palms are often referred to as the “tree of life” in that they provide food, drink, fuel, and so much more
Coconut fruits and the tree itself are also used to make soap, furniture, and brooms, among other things.
Main Coconut Tree Varieties
Tall Coconut Varieties
Tall coconut palms flourish in various soil types, including red loam and littoral sand. It is also quite resistant to pests and diseases.
Coconut nuts are medium-large in size, and they display varying shades of brown, yellow, green, and orange.
These trees often cross-pollinate, suggesting that they share genetic material with a number of other trees. This leads to greater variation in terms of coconut characteristics.
Dwarf Coconut Varieties
The dwarf coconut varieties are shorter in stature than tall coconut varieties, growing to an average height of 20 to 60 feet.
Its average life span is 40-50 years, and it bears fruit earlier. A dwarf palm tree’s coconuts weigh approximately 3 oz (85 gm).
Typically, these trees have yellow, green, and orange-colored nuts and are highly susceptible to drought.
As opposed to tall varieties, dwarf types mostly self-pollinate, so they have less variation.
Although smaller in size, they can produce more fruit than tall palm trees.
Craft With Coconuts
Hard shells are also useful for steaming food in homes. A lot of people use shells for craft materials.
Coconut shells are used to make many beautiful craft items. Children can also play with the shells and color them.
Making rope from coconut husk is a profitable business in many rural areas.
This job requires a lot of labor and is really hard. Workers make coconut straw rope and pottery.
Types of Coconut
Dwarf Orange Coconut
The coconut variety grows to 5.05 m in height and has a lifespan of 40 years. The nuts are usually round and reddish yellow in color. Before it flowers, it takes 3-5 years.
As it can self-pollinate, the coconuts have a sweetmeat content and sweet-tasting water.
The dwarf orange coconut has an average annual yield of 63 palms or nuts.
East Coast Tall Coconut
It takes 6 to 8 years for this coconut to bear fruit. The trees produce about 70 nuts per year. They produce 64 percent oil, and thrive best in red loam soils and deep sandy loam soils.
Some natural enemies include scale insects, mealy bugs, and rhinoceros beetles.
Fiji Dwarf Coconut
Fiji dwarf coconut types are highly sought after not only for their fruit, but their natural beauty is ideal for landscaping.
This coconut variety is more durable; it’s often said to be one tough nut.
The Fiji dwarf coconut has the second-highest genetic diversity among coconuts. Like many short coconut varieties, they are highly resistant to diseases.
They have a unique leaf structure.
Golden Malay Coconut
Golden Malay coconut is mainly grown in Bulgaria and imported from Indonesia.
These palm plants produce bronze to red-colored fruit and thrive in sheltered, warm environments outside the tropics.
They also need free-draining soils and are best grown near mulch. The plants grow up to 12 meters tall and spread 8 to 12 meters wide.
Gold Malay coconut trees bear golden-orange fruits at young ages. Additionally, they produce excellent drinking water and fruit for cooking.
King Coconut
These coconuts are native to Sri Lanka and India. They are a bit taller than other varieties. These palms grow about 20 meters tall and produce a bunch of 20 nuts. The crown bears a distinctive oval shape.
They are approximately 20 to 30 centimeters in length, and their skin has a distinctive slightly bright orange tint.
You can get king coconuts any time of the year. Their nut produces a more-than-soothing, cooling, and refreshing liquid.
Besides vitamin content, this variety of coconuts has nutrients like sodium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, and amino acids.
A king coconut’s liquid has more calcium than an orange and has a higher potassium content than a banana.
Cocos is also loaded with bioactive enzymes that boost the body’s metabolism and improve digestion.
People generally eat king coconuts for their milk and also their liquid.
Macapuno Coconut
These trees are sometimes commonly referred to as “kopyor coconuts”.
Because it has an abnormally developed endosperm, it produces soft, jelly-like flesh. This causes an under-nourished embryo that collapses.
Macapuno Coconuts are more nutritious than regular coconuts, but their unusual development produces a different kind of shell that is thick and almost devoid of liquid.
Although it is not common in many countries, it is widely prized in Asia as a delicacy.
Sweets and desserts made with this coconut are more expensive than those made with regular coconuts.
Smooth and sweet, these coconuts have a pleasant, nutty taste. Their high protein and oil content makes them a beneficial food source.
Malayan Yellow Dwarf Coconut
These are high-yielding hybrid coconut cultivars and are commonly grown in humid tropical locations. These plants need deep organic mulch and free draining soil to grow well.
This type of coconut is the most prevalent type in the world. Indonesian planters introduced it to Malaysia between 1890 and 1900.
As the fruit grows older, the color changes to just pale yellow. Thailand, Fiji, India, Brazil, and Jamaica are among the several countries where yellow dwarf varieties are commonly grown.
The fruit is usually oblong and about 700 – 800 gm in weight.
Maypan Coconut
Jamaican coconuts are sometimes referred to as “sturdy coconuts.”
Hybrid coconuts such as the Maypan coconut are typically resistant to Lethal Yellowing, a plant disease that typically impacts palm species.
The coconut palms are super hardy, cold, and tough, so they can survive adverse environmental conditions.
The Maypan coconut grows to an average height of 18 meters and is a medium to large-sized palm.
Temperatures above 40 degrees F are best for growing them.
West Coast Tall Coconut
Common coconuts, also known as West coast tall coconuts, grow in all types of soils.
They grow exceptionally well in the sands along the coast and in soils that are tolerant of high moisture.
They give about 80 nuts or palms per year and have an average bearing time of 6-7 years. They also make a lot of coconut water or juice.
Fun Facts about Coconuts Trees
Many Pacific island nations are switching to coconut oil in favor of biofuels.
During the 1970s, General Marcos built a palace out of coconut timber, making it a magnificent piece of architecture.
A falling coconut from a tree and hitting an individual can seriously injure the back, neck, shoulders, and unprotected head; and is occasionally fatal.
