Cocos nucifera - Coconut tree

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"Tender coconut"

"coconut"

The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the family Arecaceae (palm family) and the only species of the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the whole coconut palm or the seed, or the fruit, which, botanically, is a drupe, not a nut. The spelling cocoanut is an archaic form of the word. The term is derived from the 16th-century Portuguese and Spanish word coco meaning "head" or "skull", from the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features.

Uses

Wounds, Cuts, Snakebites, Curing liver disorders, Skin eruptions, Blotches, Pimples, Diarrhea, Sore throats

Parts Used

Leaves, Roots, stems.

Chemical Composition

Per 100 g, the kernel is reported to contain 36.3 g H2O 4.5 g protein, 41.6 g fat, 13.0 g total carbohydrate, 3.6 g fiber, 1.0 g ash, 10 mg Ca, 24 mg P, 1.7 mg Fe, and traces of beta-carotene

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	tengina kayi, tengu
Hindi	Nariya
Malayalam	Thengu
Tamil	Tennai
Telugu	kobbari chettu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit
English	Coconut

Habit

Tree

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Simple	lanceolate	The leaves, from 4 to 6 m long, are pinnate; they consist of linear-lanceolate, more or less recurved, rigid, bright green leaflets

The inflorescences, arising at leaf axils and enveloped by a carinate spathe, are unbranched spadices; female flowers are borne basally, male flowers at apex. Flowers bear lanceolate petals, 6 stamens and an ovary consisting of 3 connate carpels.

Cross pollination, either anemophilous or entomophilous, occurs.

Its fruit, as big as a man’s head and 1-2 kg in weight, is a drupe with a thin, smooth, grey-brownish epicarp, a fibrous, 4-8 cm thick, mesocarp and a woody endocarp; as it is rather light, it can be carried long distances by water while keeping its germinability for a long time.

Inside it contains one seed, rich in reserve substances located in the endosperm which is partly liquid (coconut milk), partly solid (flesh).

When its embryo germinates, its radicle breaks through one of the three germinating pores, visible from the outside as well.

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual		Yellow	6	female flowers are borne basally, male flowers at apex. Flowers bear lanceolate petals, 6 stamens and an ovary consisting of 3 connate carpelst

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
big as a man’s head	4-8 cm thick	mesocarp and a woody endocarp; as it is rather light, it can be carried long distances by water while keeping its germinability for a long time	smooth, grey-brownish epicarp	single	{{{6}}}

Other features

List of Ayurvedic medicine in which the herb is used

• Vishatinduka Taila as root juice extract

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings.

How to plant/cultivate

Easily grown in most soils[21][22], preferring a calcareous soil. Thrives in a dry lightly shaded position[16], though it prefers full sun. Plants usually self-sow quite freely when growing in a suitable position[19]. The seeds are contained in burrs that can easily attach themselves to clothing or animal's fur, thus transporting them to a new area where they can germinate and grow.The cultivar 'Sweet scented' is popular in France for making tea because the whole plant is sweet scented and the flowers have a spicy apricot-like fragrance

Commonly seen growing in areas

tropical seashores, alluvial plains, Borders of forests and fields.

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