SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cocos nucifera

COMMON NAME(S): Coconut palm
SUB FAMILY: Arecoideae
TRIBE: Cocoeae
ORIGIN: Probably the Pacific Islands, but now distributed worldwide in tropics
HARDINESS ZONES: 10B-11 (severely damaged or killed at 26 degrees F)
TYPICAL MAXIMUM HEIGHT: 50-80'
GROWTH RATE: Moderate
HABIT: Solitary, very rarely producing a sucker or two, bearing 20-30 leaves
SALT TOLERANCE: High
DROUGHT TOLERANCE: High
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Widely adaptable
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: High
NUTRITION REQUIREMENTS: Moderate
POPULAR USES: Shade tree; specimen tree; edible fruit; commercial source of oil and fiber
HUMAN HAZARDS: None
POPULAR OR RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS: 'Jamaican Tall' and 'Panama Tall': very susceptible to LY. 'Malayan Dwarf': green and golden forms, slender trunk, begins flowering when young, greens more susceptible to LY than goldens. 'Maypan': hybrid of 'Panama Tall' and golden 'Malayan Dwarf', resistant to LY. Many others.

COMMENTS: Coconut palms are the universal symbol of the tropics worldwide, and unarguably the world's most economically important palm. Copra (the dried 'meat' of the seed), from which oil is extracted, is a significant cash crop throughout the tropics. Coir, the fiber from the fruit husk, is widely used in manufacturing. The fruits yield several food products at different stages of development, and the leaves are used for thatch or are woven into baskets, mats and clothing. Even the trunks have been utilized for construction. The trees are valued for their ability to adapt to exposed coastal locations, prospering best in areas with high rainfall, high water tables (though long-term flooding is not tolerated) and warm temperatures. In frost-free but cool climates, the palms grow more slowly and may not flower. Lethal yellowing is the most serious problem of coconuts. The disease is presently incurable, and is spread by a tropical leaf hopper. A program of antibiotic injections will temporarily suspend the decline of infected palms while resistant replacements are being established nearby. Dwarf varieties are so-named not because they necessarily stay shorter than the tall varieties, but because they begin to fruit at a smaller size. Tall varieties are conspicuously swollen at their stem base and have vaguely 3-sided fruits, while the true dwarfs are not particularly swollen at the base and bear round fruits. Unfortunately, some growers merely collect seed nuts from presumed dwarf varieties in the local landscape, rather than buy certified seed. These locally sourced nuts may not come true-to-type and may be as susceptible to LY as the talls.