Coconut palm
- the ancient, cultivated and highly useful traveler of tropical shores.
Coconut palms are often associated with holiday travels to beautiful tropical beaches.
Uses of the Coconut Palm
The coconut palm has been in culture for a very long time and has many uses. The coconut, which is the seed of the palm, is edible and can be used in oil and animal food production. The shell of the seed is brown and hard and can be polished and made into jewellery. The fibrous layer surrounding the seed is used in the production of various mats, blankets, weaved products and rope. Finally, the trunks are used as timber.
Origin and propagation
The coconut palm was cultivated long time ago, both in Southeast Asia and tropical regions of Africa. Today, there are no wild growing coconut palns in nature.
No one knows from where the coconut palm originates, but it must have been near the sea because the coconut are able to withstand long-term floating in seawater, and therefore it is spread widely along tropical coastlines.
Fact box:
- Greenhouse location: Tropican house
- Danish name: Kokospalme
- Latin name: Cocos nucifera
- Family: Palm family / Arecaceae
- Natural habitat: Tropics