Cocos nucifera L.

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean, Guiana Shield, Caribbean, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–1500 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlántico, Bolívar, Boyacá, Caldas, Caquetá, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Guainía, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, San Andrés y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupés, Vichada.

Habit

Tree, Solitary palm.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.

Vernacular

Coco, Cocotero, Palm de coco

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution

Nativa y cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1500 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Guayana y Serranía de La Macarena, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.

Morphology General Habit

Árbol, palma solitaria

Conservation

No Evaluada

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Ecology

Alt. 0 - 1500 m.

Conservation

Not Evaluated.

Distribution

Native and cultivated in Colombia.

Morphology General Habit

Tree.

Baker, W.J., Barfod, A.S., Cámara-Leret, R., Dowe, J.L., Heatubun, C.D., Petoe, P., Turner, J.H., Zona, S. & Dransfield, J. (2024) Palms of New Guinea. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond. 726 pp.

Morphology General Habit

Robust, emergent palm to 30 m tall, bearing 20–40 leaves

Morphology Stem

Stem 30–35 cm diam. often curving

Morphology Leaves

Leaf up to 6 m long; petiole 50–100 cm long; rachis ca. 5.5 m long, twisted 90° in its distal half; 90–120 leaflets per side, mid-leaf leaflet 100 × 2–5 cm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence among the leaves, 1–1.5 m long; peduncular bract ca. 1 m long, woody; peduncle 40 cm long; rachillae up to 35 cm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Male flower ca. 13 × 4 mm in bud, slightly asymmetrical, creamy white; stamens 6; anthers ca. 8 mm long; pistillode short, trifid Female flower ca. 30 mm diam., globose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit ca. 30 × 25 cm, ovoid, weakly to strongly 3-sided, green, yellow, orange or brown (depending on cultivar); husk fibrous and air- filled (giving buoyancy), endocarp 10–15 cm, globose, endocarp wall ca. 5 mm thick, brown, very hard, with three basal “eyes” (germination pores)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed ca. 10–13 cm, globose; endosperm homogeneous with large, liquid-filled cavity.

Distribution

Pantropical and throughout New Guinea; extensively cultivated.

Ecology

A common palm around human habitations. It is widely cultivated in home gardens and plantations and it naturalizes along the beach strand, sea level to 1,000 m (Bourke & Vlassak 2004).

Vernacular

Coconut (English), Kelapa (Bahasa Indonesia), Kokonas (Papua New Guinea Tok Pisin).

Conservation

Least Concern.

Note

The origin and domestication of the coconut have been topics of speculation for decades. Gunn et al. (2011), using molecular methods, identified two potential areas of domestication, namely the southern margins of the Indian subcontinent and islands of South-East Asia between the Malay Peninsula and New Guinea.

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Palm of varying size, trunk usually somewhat swollen at the base

Morphology Leaves

Leaves up to 4–5 m long; petiole up to 2 m long; leaflets up to 100 x 2 cm, bright green above, somewhat paler beneath

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences with male flowers in upper part

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit obovoid, obscurely trigonous, up to 25 x 20 cm, filled by the seed; embryo next to the functional pore.

Distribution

Cultivated near the coast in S2 and S3 of unknown origin, possibly western Pacific

Ecology

Widely cultivated in the lowland tropics.

Vernacular

Qumbe (Somali).

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

coca, coco, coco caballero, cocotera, cocotero, coquera, coquero, mata de coco, palma cocotera, palma de coco, palo de coco, típico

Palmae, John Dransfield. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1994

Morphology General Habit

Palms varying from ‘dwarfs’ with trunks to 2 m. only when first flowering to tall forms with trunks to 30 m. or more.

Morphology Trunk

Trunk usually somewhat swollen at the base, to 80 cm. in diameter, usually about 40 cm. d.b.h., with conspicuous leaf-scars ± 10–20 cm. distant and commonly with pronounced vertical cracking of the grey surface, especially at the base.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf up to 4–5 m. long; petiole to 2 m. long by 15 cm. wide at the base, adaxially channelled, grey, scurfy hairy when young, bright pale green or golden yellow, or orangey in colour; leaflets single-fold, the longest to 1 m. long, to 2 cm. wide, bright shiny green above, somewhat paler below, main vein usually prominent, pale green or golden yellow.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence interfoliar, to 1.5 m., usually less, bearing a prophyll ± 50 cm. long by ± 12 cm. wide, usually remaining between the leaf-sheaths; peduncular bract conspicuous, rather long persistent, narrow, longitudinally striate, woody, brown, ± 1 m. long by 15 cm. wide; peduncle to 40 cm. long; rachillae ± 30 in all, cream-coloured, spreading, the longest at the base, ± 35 cm. long, the shortest the most distal, each with 1–few basal triads and paired or solitary ♂ flowers distally, cream at anthesis.

sex Male

Male flowers somewhat asymmetric; sepals 3, imbricate, acute, 2 mm. high and 3.5 mm. wide; petals 3, valvate, acute, rather flat, fleshy, ± 13 mm. long by 4 mm. wide; stamens 6, with erect filaments and narrow elongate anthers to 8 mm. long, ± bifid apically; pistillode trifid.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Female flower massive, much larger than the ♂, to 3 cm. in diameter; sepals 3, rounded, imbricate, ± 1.5 cm. wide; petals 3, rounded, ± 2.5 m. wide; ovary rounded, to 2.5 cm. in diameter. Male flowers somewhat asymmetric; sepals 3, imbricate, acute, 2 mm. high and 3.5 mm. wide; petals 3, valvate, acute, rather flat, fleshy, ± 13 mm. long by 4 mm. wide; stamens 6, with erect filaments and narrow elongate anthers to 8 mm. long, ± bifid apically; pistillode trifid.

sex Female

Female flower massive, much larger than the ♂, to 3 cm. in diameter; sepals 3, rounded, imbricate, ± 1.5 cm. wide; petals 3, rounded, ± 2.5 m. wide; ovary rounded, to 2.5 cm. in diameter.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit usually only 1 on each rachilla developing to maturity, massive, with basal persistent calyx and corolla at maturity increasing to 5 cm. long and 7 cm. wide, the whole fruit obovoid, obscurely trigonous, extremely variable; in shape and size, to 25 cm. long by 20 cm. wide or more, usually with only 1 of the 3 carpels developing; mesocarp massive, fibrous; endocarp to 5 mm. thick, extremely hard and woody, with 3 basal ‘eyes’, usually only one functional.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed filling the large endocarp cavity, ± 10–15 cm. in diameter; endosperm to 2 cm. thick, lining the endocarp; embryo top-shaped, next to the functional ‘eye’.

Habitat

Widespread in the coastal lowlands, performing best in more humid areas; also found inland as scattered individuals, rarely above 1000 m. altitude and then not fruiting

Distribution

K7 T3 widespread throughout the lowland tropics as a cultivated plant, rarely naturalized       cult.   coastal towns, Amani

Use Environmental Ornamentals

Infructescences - Fruits used to make glasses, vases, ashtrays, bracelets, belts, ornaments, busts, pencil holders, necklaces and toys (Linares 1994).

Use Food

Food (Pérez Arbeláez 1996).

Use Gene Sources

Crop wild relatives which may possess beneficial traits of value in breeding programmes (State of the World's Plants 2016).

Use Materials Fibres

Leaves - Used for basketry and to make hats (Linares 1994, Linares et al. 2008).

Use Materials Other Materials

Leaves - The leaves are used to make hats (Linares 1994).

Use Materials Unspecified Materials Chemicals

Materials (State of the World's Plants 2016).

Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders

Medicinal (Instituto Humboldt 2014).

Use

Arguably, the most useful of all palms. Various parts of this palm are used for construction, fibre, containers, food, drink, etc. Copra (dried endosperm), coir (mesocarp fibre), coconut water (seed liquid) and coconut oil (seed oil) are commodities that have international markets. A full account of the coconut’s uses is beyond the scope of this book (see Westphal & Jansen (1989) for a summary).

Use

Cultivated for its fruit