Coconut

The coconut (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus Cocos. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can denote the whole coconut palm tree or the large hard fruit. Originally native to the Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the Southwestern Pacific, they are ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions. The coconut tree provides food, fuel, cosmetics, folk medicine, and building materials. The inner flesh of the mature fruit forms a regular part of the diets of many people in the tropics and subtropics. Coconut endosperm contains a large quantity of a liquid, "coconut water". Mature coconuts can be processed for oil and coconut milk from the flesh, charcoal from the hard shell, and coir from the fibrous husk. Dried coconut flesh is called copra, and the oil and milk derived from it are commonly used in cooking and in soaps and cosmetics. Sweet coconut sap can be made into drinks or fermented into palm wine or coconut vinegar. The hard shells, fibrous husks and long pinnate leaves are used to make products for furnishing and decoration. The coconut has cultural and religious significance for many Austronesian peoples, appearing in their mythologies, songs, and oral traditions. It also has religious significance in South Asian cultures, where it is used in Hindu rituals, including weddings and worship.…

The coconut (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus Cocos. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can denote the whole coconut palm tree or the large hard fruit. Originally native to the Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the Southwestern Pacific, they are ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions. The coconut tree provides food, fuel, cosmetics, folk medicine, and building materials. The inner flesh of the mature fruit forms a regular part of the diets of many people in the tropics and subtropics. Coconut endosperm contains a large quantity of a liquid, "coconut water". Mature coconuts can be processed for oil and coconut milk from the flesh, charcoal from the hard shell, and coir from the fibrous husk. Dried coconut flesh is called copra, and the oil and milk derived from it are commonly used in cooking and in soaps and cosmetics. Sweet coconut sap can be made into drinks or fermented into palm wine or coconut vinegar. The hard shells, fibrous husks and long pinnate leaves are used to make products for furnishing and decoration. The coconut has cultural and religious significance for many Austronesian peoples, appearing in their mythologies, songs, and oral traditions. It also has religious significance in South Asian cultures, where it is used in Hindu rituals, including weddings and worship. Cocos-like fossils have been recovered from New Zealand and India. Genetic studies identify the coconut's center of origin as the Central Indo-Pacific, where it has its greatest genetic diversity. It was domesticated by Austronesian peoples in Island Southeast Asia and spread during the Neolithic via their seaborne migrations as far east as the Pacific Islands, and as far west as Madagascar. The species played a critical role in their long sea voyages by providing a portable source of food and water, as well as building materials for outrigger boats. Coconuts were spread much later along the coasts of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans by South Asian, Arab, and, from the 16th century, European sailors. Based on these introductions, the species can be divided into Pacific and Indo-Atlantic types. The Indo-Atlantic type was introduced to the Americas during the colonial era in the Columbian exchange. Trees can grow up to tall and can yield up to 75 fruits per year, though fewer than 30 is more typical. They are intolerant to cold and prefer copious precipitation and full sunlight. Many insect pests and diseases affect commercial production. In 2024, world production of coconuts was 65.5 million tonnes, with 73% of the total produced by Indonesia, India, and the Philippines. of New Zealand, approximately the size of a strawberry at long|alt=Small blackened fossil The vast majority of Cocos-like fossils have been recovered from only two regions in the world: New Zealand and west-central India. However, Cocos-like fossils are still putative, as they are difficult to identify. The earliest Cocos-like fossil to be found was C. zeylandica, a fossil species with small fruits, around × in size, from the Miocene (~23 to 5.3 million years ago) of New Zealand . Since then, numerous other fossils of similar fruits of uncertain affinity have been found in New Zealand from the Eocene, Oligocene, and possibly the Holocene. In the Deccan Traps of west-central India, numerous fossils of Cocos-like fruits, leaves, and stems have been found. They include morphotaxa like Palmoxylon sundaran, Palmoxylon insignae, and Palmocarpon cocoides. Cocos-like fossils of fruits include Cocos intertrappeansis, Cocos pantii, and Cocos sahnii. Some have been tentatively identified as modern C. nucifera. These include two specimens named C. palaeonucifera and C. binoriensis, both dated by their authors to the Maastrichtian–Danian of the early Tertiary (70 to 62 million years ago). C. binoriensis has been claimed to be the earliest known fossil of C. nucifera. Only two other regions have reported Cocos-like fossils, namely Australia and Colombia. In Australia, a Cocos-like fossil fruit, measuring , was recovered from the Chinchilla Sand Formation dated to the latest Pliocene or basal Pleistocene. Rigby (1995) assigned them to modern Cocos nucifera based on its size. In Colombia, a single Cocos-like fruit was recovered from the middle to late Paleocene Cerrejón Formation. The fruit, however, was compacted in the fossilization process and it was not possible to determine if it had the diagnostic three pores that characterize members of the tribe Cocoseae. Nevertheless, one study assigned it to Cocos based on the size and the ridged shape of the fruit. celebrations in the Philippines|alt=Group of people with palm fronds , a common souvenir carved from coconut shells|alt=Coconut carved to look like a monkey in woven coconut leaves from Bali, Indonesia A coconut ( ) is used in Hindu rituals. Often it is decorated with bright metal foils. It is offered during worship to a Hindu god or goddess. Narali Poornima is celebrated on a full moon day which usually signifies the end of monsoon season in India. The word Narali is derived from Marathi , "coconut". Fishermen give an offering of coconut to the sea to celebrate the beginning of a new fishing season, in the hope of bountiful catches. Hindus often initiate any new activity by breaking a coconut to ensure the blessings of the gods. The Hindu goddess of well-being and wealth, Lakshmi, is often shown holding a coconut. They are used in Hindu weddings as a symbol of prosperity. The flowers are used sometimes in wedding ceremonies in Cambodia. The coconut has cultural and religious significance for Austronesian peoples, appearing in their mythologies, songs, and oral traditions. The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club of New Orleans traditionally throws hand-decorated coconuts, one of the most valuable Mardi Gras souvenirs, to parade revelers. The tradition began in the 1910s, and has continued since. In 1987, a "coconut law" was signed by Governor Edwin Edwards exempting from insurance liability any decorated coconut "handed" from a Zulu float. The coconut is used as a target and prize in the traditional British fairground game coconut shy. The player buys some small balls which are thrown at coconuts balanced on sticks. The aim is to knock a coconut off the stand and win it. It was the main food of adherents of the now discontinued Vietnamese Coconut Religion, Đạo Dừa.

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