Coconut

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The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family). It is the only species in the Genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4-6 m long, pinnae 60-90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly leaving the trunk smooth. The term coconut refers to the fruit of the coconut palm.

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The origin of this plant are the subject of debate with some authorities claiming it is native to southeast Asia, while others claim its origin is in northwestern South America. Fossil records from New Zealand indicate that small, coconut-like plants grew there as far back 15 million years ago. Even older fossils have been uncovered in Rajasthan, India. Regardless of its origin, the coconut has spread across much of the tropics, probably aided in many cases by sea-faring peoples. The fruit is light and buoyant and presumably spread significant distances by marine currents: fruits collected from the sea as far north as Norway have been found to be viable (subsequently germinated under the right conditions). In the Hawaiian Islands, the coconut is regarded as a Polynesian introduction, first brought to the Islands by early Polynesian voyagers from their homelands in the South Pacific.

Genus: :...

Pinnate: Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or many-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna for "feather". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts (arising from one side of ...

Leaves: REDIRECT Leaf...

Coconut related Images and Photos (experimental)

Coconut	Coconut	Coconut Palm	Coconut Grove
Coconut Palms	Coconut in Water Indonesia	Coconut Palm on Beach Seychelles	Coconut Grove Lahaina 1910
Half a Coconut	Monty Python Coconut Voice Key Chain	Coconut Palm Trees on Key in San Blas Islands Panama	Making Coconut Shavings with a Vegetable Peeler