Where Do Coconuts Come From

The coconut palm tree is one of the most diverse trees in tropical regions and is the answer to the question, "Where do coconuts come from?"

Learn How to Open a Coconut!

Coconut, also know by its scientific name, Cocos nucifera is in the Palmaceae family. Because the coconut palm is grown in many tropical areas, the origin of the coconut is not widely known, although most scientists feel it is native to the Malay Archipelago South Pacific region. Many people wonder, is the coconut a nut or a fruit?

Coconuts are considered to be a fruit. The outside consists of a thick, fibrous husk that surrounds a nut with a brittle hairy shell. Beyond the shell are three layers of softer tissue called the “eyes” located at one end of the coconut. The inside shell is white and fleshy and can grow to be one-half inch thick when fully mature. This is the meat of the coconut and inside this meat, you’ll find healthy coconut milk.

Coconut milk can be absorbed if not released from a mature coconut. The coconut fruit is at first green and then turns brown when ripe. In addition, there are yellow varieties that go from yellow to brown upon maturity.

Beyond its tempting taste, coconuts are used to make furniture, recreational equipment, and even household supplies like utensils, cooking oils, baskets, and cosmetics. The flesh of the coconut is desired for its ability to be shredded which can be used in foods or pressed to make coconut milk for soups, creams, and curries.

In some tropical areas, the stage of growth of the coconut determines when people most enjoy it. For instance, young coconuts have a clear juice that is good for cooling off the body and is a natural thirst quencher. Some natural healers say this stage of coconut juice is good for lowering body temperatures and fever. It is also a natural cure for upset stomachs, diarrhea, and a good heart strengthener. Beyond that, this juice, if consumed by pregnant women, is believed to produce a healthier fetus.

Other varieties of coconuts, even before maturity, will have a thicker, milky juice that is not so sweet. Once matured, the fleshy part of the coconut produces oil and is more of a cousin to the nut.

Coconuts are great for making snacks, used for coconut milk, and a great treat to add to desserts and curries. The oil of the coconut is valued for it’s cosmetic attributes when added to skin lotions. Asia is the highest producer of what is called Copra. Copra is pressed into coconut oil and used for soaps as well as nourishing lotions and potions to help keep your skin soft and nourished.

The husk fiber can be used for making rope and mats. The trunk of the coconut palm tree is often utilized for timber and the leaves for roof thatch.

The coconut palm is grown from seeds, usually matured nuts that are placed approximately one-half of their thickness into soil. Coconut palms can even be grown in pots and when they are six months old, may be transferred to soil.

Many believe because the coconut palm tree is grown in tropical areas close to the salt of the oceans and seas that sea salt is required for its growth. This is untrue and the palm tree can grow in almost any type of soil as long as they are kept well-drained and in temperatures of 72 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Rainfall is important to the coconut palm and the tree thrives in areas where average rainfalls are forty to sixty inches. Coconut palms that experience temperatures lower than 32 degrees Fahrenheit will more than likely be damaged and unable to produce their coconut fruit.

While the coconut palm tree grows in tropical regions in the United States like Florida, they are judged more for their beauty, not for their commercial value. The question of where do coconuts come from is vast due to the many tropical areas on our planet. The next time you see a coconut tree, use your imagination and think of all the tasteful treats you can make from its fruit, roofs and timber that can build shelter, and the oils that keep our skin soft.

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