Coconut palm

From WikiMD.org
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera)

Coconut Palm (Latin: Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm family (Arecaceae). It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term "coconut" can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a true nut.

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈkoʊ.kəˌnʌt ˈpɑːm/
  • US: /ˈkoʊ.kəˌnʌt ˈpɑːlm/

Etymology

The term "coconut" comes from the 16th-century Portuguese and Spanish word coco, meaning "head" or "skull", from the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features. The specific name nucifera is Latin for "nut-bearing".

Description

The coconut palm is a large palm, growing up to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 m long, and pinnae 60–90 cm long. The term "coconut" refers to the fruit of the coconut palm. The fruit is a drupe, not a true nut.

Cultivation and uses

The coconut palm is grown throughout the tropical world, for decoration as well as for its many culinary and nonculinary uses. Its fruit, the coconut, has a thick, fibrous husk surrounding a single-seeded nut. A hard shell encloses the insignificant embryo with its abundant endosperm, composed of both ‘meat’ and liquid.

Related terms

  • Drupe: A type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside.
  • Endosperm: The tissue produced inside the seeds of most flowering plants around the time of fertilization. It surrounds the embryo and provides nutrition.
  • Arecaceae: A family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Commonly known as palm family.

External links

Esculaap.svg

This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.


Languages: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski