-
If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.
-
You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!
| |
Lewis, T - Coconut Palm
Page history
last edited
by PBworks 16 years, 1 month ago
The coconut tree, Cocos nucifera, is a part of the Arecaceae or palm family. It is the widest grown palm in the world and it is the most economically important plant of the family because of the wide range products made from coconuts. The coconut tree has been referred to as “the tree of life”, “tree of heaven”, “tree of abundance”, and “nature’s Supermarket.”
©G.A. Cooper. Courtesy of
United States, FL, Miami-Dade Co., Miami.
Habitat
The coconut tree is Pan-Tropical. It is thought to be native to tropical eastern regions, but now can be found throughout the humid tropics, coastal regions, or almost anywhere when cultivated. It grows in frost-free tropical climates with high humidity and extended dry seasons. It survives best in areas with an average temperature of 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. It is adaptable to many soil types provided that there is adequate drainage and pH levels between 5.0 and 8.0. The coconut palm is very tolerant to hurricane force winds and heavy rain fall. It is rarely uprooted during severe weather. Coconut trees are grown in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific Region. In the United States they can be found in Florida, Hawaii, North Caroline, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Introduced distribution of Coconut Tree within the United States.
Leaves, Flowers, and Fruit
The coconut tree is a single trunk palm that reaches up to 100 feet in the wild, and 20 to 50 feet in cultivation. On the tree all the leaves begin growing at the stem apex. New leaves grow monthly and a healthy coconut tree usually has around 30 leaves. The leave can grow up to 20 feet. The tree has separate off-white, grey or yellow male and female flowers that are borne in the same inflorescence, and generally the male releases pollen before the female is receptive. The fruit of the coconut tree are very large oval dry drupes. The skin of the coconut is green, yellow, or bronze-gold, turning to brown depending on the maturity. The endocarp is the hard shell of the fruit that encloses the seed. Coconut seeds are very large and are located in the endosperm which is part liquid (coconut milk) and part solid (flesh). The coconut can fall from a very tall tree without being damage, and it is very light which allows it to travel long distances by water easily. After the fruit falls germination can occur within three to seven months. Therefore, coconuts can float on the ocean for months and still be able to germinate.
Plant Life and Reproduction
The coconut tree is a perennial and a monocotyledon. A perennial is a plant in which the life cycle is completed in more than one year. It is not considered invasive, and is very common throughout the world. It has a year round active growth period. The coconut tree has a moderate growth rate and lifespan. The coconut tree requires pollination for reproduction. Coconut trees are cross pollinated and the pollinating agents are usually insects such as honeybees, wasps, and ants.
Coconuts and Humans
The coconut tree has been providing sources for the most basic needs of life since recorded history. The tree is able to provide food, drink, shelter and a means for production. The trunks of the trees are used to stabilize buildings and the outside of tree is sliced into porcupine wood. It is not technically real wood, because the coconut tree is a monocot and does not have secondary growth. When there is severe weather people have latched onto the trunks of the trees to prevent themselves from being taken out to sea. The white meat of the coconut is called Copra is able to be eaten. Coconut oil can be pressed from the Copra to be used for shampoo, soap, and ointments. In 2002, coconut oil production was slightly greater than olive oil. There are many health benefits from coconuts and coconut oil is said to be the healthiest oil on earth. Coconut oil has been referred to an antibiotic that can help regulate the body. The coconut water or coconut milk in immature coconuts is drinkable; although, it is not really water or milk, but nutrients for the seed. The sap from unopened bunches of flowers is used for sugar, vinegar, and alcoholic beverages. The fiber from the husk of the coconut, the Coir, is used for mats, baskets, and hats.
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is the most economically important and the widest grown palm. It has supplied families within its habitat regions with food, drink, shelter, and the possibility for work. The origin of the coconut palm is very difficult to determine because of the coconut fruit’s capability of traveling far distances by water. However, it is believed the coconut palm is native to the eastern regions, but today the palm is pan-tropical.
The coconut tree grows in hot tropical and subtropical regions such as rainforests, and it is mostly found along coastal areas because the seeds usually disperse by water. The coconut can float at sea for months and still be able to germinate when it washes up on shore. It is able to grow in areas with coarse, fine, and medium textured soils. The coconut palm flourishes in extended dry seasons, but needs it needs forty to sixty inches of rain or water. The palm favors areas with plenty of sunlight and normal rainfall. It only grows in areas with high humidity ranging form seventy to eighty percent or above. The coconut palm is not grown in the Mediterranean because of the low humidity. It has high salinity tolerance mostly likely because of its habitat along coastal areas. Also, it has an intermediate shade tolerance, and a medium tolerance to drought. It is extremely tolerant to intense hurricane force winds and it is rarely uprooted. The coconut palm grows best in average temperatures of seventy to eighty degrees Fahrenheit, and cannot survive during severe frosts.
The coconut palm is found in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific region. It is grown in over ninety-two countries worldwide on approximately twenty-six million acres of land. In Africa the largest production of palms is in Mozambique, Tanzania and Ghana. Coconuts are grown in India, Ceylon, and Indonesia within the Asian Continent. In central and south America, Brazil and Mexico are major growers of the coconut palm. In the United States, the coconut palm is found in Hawaii, southern Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Although the coconut palm is pan-tropical, according to the WWF the coconut palm most likely belongs to the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest habitat. This habitat is characterized by warm humid climates. These forests have the most species diversity and it is habitat for more species than other terrestrial ecosystems. The forest has a low variability in yearly temperature and a high level of rainfall. The forest canopy can be divided into five layers: the overstory with emergent crowns, a medium layer of canopy, lower canopy, shrub level, and the understory.
Although the coconut palm is very economically important and widely grown, it is experiencing several threats. Theses threats are disturbing the species and the habitat it lives within. The lethal yellowing is a very important disease that is affecting the coconut in Florida. It is caused by the tiny organism called Phytoplasma. The disease was first discovered over 200 years ago in Key West, and over the years it has spread north killing thousands of coconut palms. The symptoms of the disease are early dropping of coconuts and the blackening of flower stalks. Also, the lower leaves turn yellow, then the disease spreads to the upper leaves turning them yellow. The crown of the tree eventually dies and falls from the tree. After showing the first signs of the lethal yellowing disease, the palm usually dies within six months.
Another threat to the coconut palm is bud rot which is caused by a fungus known as Phytophthora palmivora. The early symptoms are brown sunken spots, yellowing, and withering on developing leaves. The next signs are the leaves turn different shades of brown and fall at the base. The disease spreads to all the leaves and inward to the bud. After infected with the disease, young coconuts do not develop and fall to the ground. Bud rot is very common after extended heavy rainfall and areas with poor drainage. The disease can be prevented by foliar sprays with Aliette or soil drenches with metalaxyl, but after symptoms of the disease are present then treatment is rarely successful. Also, the coconut hispine beetle infects young leaves and it can damage seedlings and mature palms.
A threat that affects all of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests is humans. People are cutting down for farmland and large-scale commercial logging. According to the WWF website, a piece of land the size of Ireland is cleared every few years. The destruction of forests causes many species which have the possibility of being extremely beneficial for humans to go extinct.
The Hawaii Moist forests are part of the Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forest habitat and its conservation status is considered critical and endangered. This ecoregion is experiencing threats from deforestation and grazing. According to the World Wildlife Fund, Hawaiian moist forests have trouble with new species being introduced, development, and recreational activities near forests.
In conclusion, the coconut palm has been a very important plant and resource in the past and still is today. The coconut palm itself and the habitat in which it grows are being threatened by disease and clearing. It is important that undamaged habitats have protection put on them to ensure the preservation on the coconut palm and other species.
Gurevitch, J., S.M. Scheiner, and G.A. Fox. 2006. The Ecology of Plants, 2nd Ed. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA. p.183.
T.K. Broschat. The Coconut Palm in Florida [Internet]. [updated 2005 Nov]. University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences; [cited 2008 Mar 1]. Available from: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG043
Lewis, T - Coconut Palm
|
|
Tip: To turn text into a link, highlight the text, then click on a page or file from the list above.
|
|
|
|
|
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.