Botanically, the coconut fruit is a drupe, not a true nut. Like other fruits, it has three layers: the exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp. The exocarp is the glossy outer skin, usually yellow-green to yellow-brown in color. The mesocarp is composed of a fiber, called coir, which has many traditional and commercial uses.
Is coconut a root or stem?
Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is a monocotyledon belonging to the order Palmae. It is the sole species of the genus Cocos. (Cocos = monkey face, nucifera = nut bearing) Trees are generally unbranched, erect, cylindrical, pillar-like stem reaching up to 25-30 m in height.
What is the brief description of coconut tree?
Coconut palm is a tree with a slim and smooth trunk, a crown of leaves, and rounded, green or yellow fruit. Its flowers grow in clusters on a stem; a flowering structure known as an inflorescence. The female flowers are larger than the male flowers, and both are found on the same inflorescence.
What are the special features of coconut?
Its fruit, as big as a man’s head and 1-2 kg in weight, is a drupe with a thin, smooth, grey-brown 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.
How is the structure of the coconut helpful to the palm tree?
Its large branchless fronds and thin leaves are ideal for the extreme wind conditions. Its trunk and its strong roots, allow the tree to sway without falling. The leaves of the coconut tree also have another classic feature common to most tropical rainforest plants.
What is the type of coconut stem?
The coconut palm has an erect or slightly curved stem which grows from a swollen base. The stem is smooth, light gray in color and has prominent leaf scars. The stem is topped with a crown of 60–70 spirally arranged leaves.
What is a coconut root called?
The Roots. The palm has adventitious roots continually produced from the base of the trunk, which is the swollen part or what is termed ‘bole’, in tall types and in some dwarf hybrids.
What is a coconut tree look like?
Coconut trees can vary in size and thickness, but they look similar to a standard palm. Coconut trees have a textured trunk. The trunks are slender, and the trees themselves generally rise to a height of about 80 feet. The bases of coconut trees are very thick, and the top of the tree is capped by a growth of fronds.
Why is it called coconut?
In Portuguese, ‘coco’ means ‘grinning face’ or ‘monkey face’ – (derived from the Portuguese for monkey – ‘macaco’) because that’s what the three dark circles on the shell resembled. Hence the Latin name for the palm: Cocos Nucifera (‘nucifera’ means nut-bearing).
What is the shape of coconut tree leaves?
Coconut tree has 13 to 20 inches long pinnate leaves. Leaflets have lanceolate shape.
Why coconut tree is called the tree of wealth?
Coconut is called the tree of wealth because each and every part of the tree has some economic value. Coconuts are abundant in medium-chain fatty acids (lauric acid) and are used as a feedstock in the manufacture of detergents. The coconut plant is used for ornamental purposes.
Why is the coconut called the Tree of Life?
The Coconut tree (scientific name: Cocos Nucifera) is called the “Tree of Life” because all the parts of the entire tree–from top to bottom–are used to sustain human life. It must be the most useful tree in the world, bar none.
What is the uses of coconut?
They might increase fat burning and reduce fat storage. Coconut flour, which is made from coconut, contains high amounts of dietary fiber. People use coconut for diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
What are the useful parts of coconut tree?
Top 10 Ways to Use a Coconut Tree
- Flesh: Milk, Food & Flour.
- Flowers: Medicine.
- Husks: Ropes.
- Sticks: Brooms.
- Wood: Fires in Traditional Kitchens.
- Leaves: Thatching.
- Shells: To Steam Food & Craft.
- Water: A Healthy & Refreshing Drink.
Is a coconut tree a tree?
All coconut trees are technically palm trees…
In fact, a coconut tree is indeed a type of palm tree. They both are long and slender with lush, swaying fronds that typically grow from the top of an unbranched stem.
Is coconut tree a palm tree?
Although people mistake coconut trees for palm trees and vice versa, they are not the same. The main difference between them is their fruit bearings. A coconut tree is a type of palm tree that bears coconuts, while a palm tree is any tree that produces fruits and other products used to create palm oil.
Is coconut a fibrous root?
Fibrous roots arise close to the surface of the ground. Examples of plants with fibrous roots include coconut, grass, and rosemary.
What is the Venation of coconut tree?
Parallel venation
Coconut Tree | Mango Tree | |
---|---|---|
Family | Araceae | Anacardiaceae |
Root | Fibrous root system | Tap root system |
Leaf | Parallel venation | Reticulated venation |
Is coconut a fruit or a seed?
Botanically speaking, a coconut is a fibrous one-seeded drupe, which is a fruit with a hard stony covering enclosing the seed. A seed is the reproductive unit of a flowering plant. From a reproductive point of view, a seed has two basic parts: the embryo root (hypocotyl) and the embryo leaves (epicotyl).
Which type of plant is coconut?
Botanically, the coconut palm is not a tree since there is no bark, no branches, or secondary growth. A coconut palm is a woody perennial monocotyledon with the trunk being the stem.
What is coconut flower?
According to botanists, the coconut tree/palm is one of the oldest flowering tree in the world, the coconut flowers blossom only after 7 to 10 years. The flowers develop inside a large green bud which is called the “spathe” which keep both male and female flowers.