In continuing with the series on SW Florida Palm trees, we are going to take a look at Coconut Palms. Coconut Palms come in two basic varieties, tall and dwarf. The most common are the Jamaican Talls and Malayan Dwarfs.
Although there are some commercial growers in Florida, most Coconut Palms are grown as ornamentals. The name Coconut actually comes from the Spanish word Coco meaning Skull or head, from the three indentations on the surface that resemble facial features.
Coconuts are grown only from seed. The 'nuts' can float for a long time until they land on a shore and start growing.
The 'nut' is actually not a nut. It is a drupe, which we commonly call a stone fruit. Other stone fruits are Mangoes, Coffee, Cherries, Peaches and Plums. Depending on the age of the tree a Coconut can produce 40-200 fruits a year.
The Coconut is a very valuable resource in many countries. Not only does the fruit supply food, but virtually every part of the plant is useful. Immature Coconuts are used for their 'milk' and mature Coconuts have an oil that can be extracted. The hard shell can be used for charcoal. The husks and leaves are used to build furniture, etc.
A mature Coconut will weigh between 4-10 Lb. When they are mature, they fall from the tree. If you happen to be under that tree, you have a serious problem! There are about 150 reported deaths each year from falling Coconuts. And, that does not account for all of the third world countries that aren't reported. According to a recent article in USA Today, there are only an average of 6 deaths per year from Shark Attacks!
There are only two places in the USA that Coconuts can grow, Hawaii and the Southern half of Florida. Obviously the US Territories of PR, Virgin Islands, etc. can also grow Coconuts. We plant the dwarf varieties so we can actually pick the fruit! We take the meet from the Coconut place it on a baking sheet with a little salt and bake it!
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