Coconut is an exotic, amazing fruit that many people like for its unusual taste and amazing delicate aroma. For those who are fans of this product, in our article we want to talk about how and where coconuts grow.
Coconut History
Before you talk about where coconuts grow, it is worth mentioning the history of this amazing plant. Oddly enough, it is still not known exactly how such interesting palm trees appeared on the planet. But there are a number of legends, assumptions regarding this issue. How true they are is difficult to judge. However, all the botanists are still inclined to believe that the plant has a very long origin, its history goes back to those distant times when dinosaurs still roamed the earth.
Coconut fruits have an interesting property - they are incredibly light and waterproof. Since trees grow on the shores of the oceans, ripe nuts fall into the water and are carried by currents all over the world. Almost all versions say that the homeland of coconut palms can be considered southeast Asia, India, California, islands in the Pacific Ocean. An interesting fact is that fossilized coconuts were discovered in New Zealand; it is also known that palm trees have been growing in India for 4, 000 years. Therefore, some scientists are inclined to believe that the shores of the Indian Ocean can be considered the birthplace of the plant. In general, there are many opinions, and they are all quite different. However, it is reliably known that the place of growth of the plant is the equatorial belt.
Where do bananas and coconuts grow? It would seem easy to answer this question: “Where it is warm …” In part, this proposition is true. But not all readers are aware that coconuts grow in Asia, Africa, Oceania, Central and South America. In total, the plant is widespread and safely yields crops in 89 countries of the world.
Ocean coasts are those places where coconuts grow in natural conditions. As we already mentioned, this is due to their way of moving through water. But now coconut trees grow in many countries far from the coast, which is already the result of human activities.
Coconut palm
The uniqueness of the coconut palm is that it is the only and unique representative of the Coconut genus, belonging to the Palm family. There are only intraspecific varieties. The classification is based on the size of the plant.
High coconut palms are distinguished, which are widely used for commercial and home growing. The height of such plants is 25-30 meters. Such palm trees grow slowly in adulthood, and begin to bear fruit 6-10 years after planting. An interesting fact is that the coconut tree bears fruit for sixty years, and sometimes even longer. Each plant gives dozens of nuts every year. Such palm trees are cross-pollinated, and therefore they are planted in groups.
Dwarf plants
Dwarf palm trees (coconut) grow only up to ten meters in height, begin to bear fruit in three years, as soon as they reach one meter. Plants live much less than their large counterparts - only 30-40 years. Such palm trees are self-pollinating, and therefore they do not need relatives in the neighborhood.
Palm root system
Sometimes people wonder where the coconuts grow: on a tree or on the ground? Do not confuse pineapples that really grow on the ground with coconuts growing on palm trees.
It should be understood that where coconuts grow, any other plant would die quickly. And palms feel safe for decades thanks to their root system. The peculiarity of plants is that they do not have rod roots, but they are armed with many fibrous roots, which together look like a broom. And they grow from a thickening at the bottom of the trunk. External roots sprawl on a horizontal surface, while internal roots go down, penetrating a ten-meter depth.
It is this unusual structure of the roots that allows palm trees to grow perfectly on the sandy coast, which is prone to winds, tides. But even such a system is sometimes not enough. Often you can see fancy plants with curved trunks and washed roots from the soil.
Plant structure
The trunk of the plant has no branches, it grows from one apical kidney. It is called the heart of a coconut. It is a collection of folded primordia of leaflets. The trunk at the base in adulthood reaches eighty centimeters in diameter. The rest of the trunk has one diameter - forty centimeters. I must say that in the early years, the plant develops very quickly and can produce a 1.5-meter growth over the year. But over time, the palm grows older and begins to slow down in growth and adds only 10-15 centimeters. The trunk of the plant does not have cambium, and therefore it cannot repair damaged tissue. If the plant loses a single bud, then this leads to its death.
But adult palm trees build 18, 000 vascular bundles on their trunk, which help them withstand significant damage. We have already mentioned that in those regions where coconuts grow, storms, winds, tides are frequent, and plants are sometimes injured.
The first leaves of a future palm tree sprouting from a nut look like feathers. Only after 8-10 first leaves the real ones begin to grow. An adult plant gives 12-16 new leaves per year.
At the same time on a palm tree they grow to 30-40 pieces. A ripe coconut leaf has a length of 3-4 meters and is divided into 200-250 strips. He remains on the trunk for three years, after which it disappears. And the scar remains on the tree. Using such scars, you can determine the approximate age of the plant. To do this, divide the number of scars by thirteen. This will be the approximate age of the coconut tree.
Flowering plants
Where do coconuts grow? On the tree, inflorescences are formed in the form of an ears, each of which is located in the axil of the leaf. Palm trees have male and female flowers. There are always more male ones than female ones. Four months after separation of the leaf, the germ of inflorescence appears, and the flowers themselves grow after another 22 months. And after another year, the inflorescence shell itself will open. First, male flowers bloom, and then female ones. About 50-70 percent of the flowers are not pollinated, especially in dry weather. And from pollinated fruits develop that ripen within a year.
What is a fetus?
Coconut fruits themselves are fibrous drupes. The young walnut on the outside has a smooth surface of green or reddish brown. Ripe fruits are covered with fibers that are successfully used in various sectors of the economy, and then inside there is a waterproof shell. It protects the core. It is thanks to this shell that coconuts travel the world. Inside, the nut is covered in pulp (12 millimeters), and in the very center is the liquid.
In an immature state, it is transparent. Then it becomes turbid and decreases in quantity, turning into coconut milk. Fruits have many useful properties, because of which they are actively used in cooking and other areas of life.
Where do coconuts grow?
We mentioned that the equatorial belt is a typical habitat for plants. Where bananas and coconuts grow, they have long been industrial crops that are grown for further sale and processing. Plants not only adorn the coast, but also planted in huge plantations.
For example, India is known as the birthplace of spices. However, the country is not only engaged in their cultivation. At first glance, it’s hard to say where coconuts grow in India. Yes, in principle, everywhere, including the famous Goa, it is an island that has a suitable climate and geographical location for growing coconut palms, cashew nuts, fruits. There is a huge number of plantations on which coconuts grow.
For example, the Pascoal plantation, located near the village of Khandepar, borders the tributary of the Mandovi River. The land owners are engaged not only in the cultivation of coconuts, spices, breadfruit nuts and mangoes, but also receive tourists. It has built cottages where guests can stay. There are guided tours of the plantation area, during which you can learn about how crops grow, what they do with them and why they are needed.
In addition, the island has a number of similar farms engaged in the cultivation of coconuts. These are the Savoy, Sakahari plantations, etc.
On the mainland, coconut palms also grow everywhere. However, there are some features. For example, in the central part of India, plants grow to the height of a five-story building, and the fruits themselves reach the size of a human head. Such a coconut weighs up to two kilograms.
But south of the palm trees grow much lower, but at the same time their fruits are smaller. In general, it is worth noting that coconuts in India grow almost everywhere. Here they are very fond of and products from them are widely used in life.
Where do coconuts grow? In New Zealand, China, Cambodia, Mozambique, Guinea, Cameroon … The list of countries is incredibly long. In general, we can say that the plant grows in areas with a tropical climate, which is a real paradise for coconut palms.
Coconuts in Russia
Where do coconuts grow in Russia? This plant can be found with us exclusively in botanical gardens or miniature options - in home greenhouses. Of course, it is unlikely to wait for fruiting at home, but there may be a small exotic plant in the house. If you really want to plant a coconut, then the greenhouse will be the best place for it. The care process itself is quite troublesome, but with a great desire it is still worth a try. The most suitable are two species: walnut and Vedel. A high-quality ripe fruit must be half immersed in the ground and wait for the emergence of sprouts. After a while, sprouts will appear from the coconut, which will turn into leaves. And later, a wide trunk will begin to form from them.
Plant care
The plant loves heat, but not very hot. The optimum temperature is 20 degrees. Coconut palm need additional lighting. It is also worth remembering that the plant loves moisture, and therefore needs daily spraying and plentiful watering in the warm period. The palm tree cannot be disturbed once again, and even less so, because it is possible to disturb the root system.
It is worth noting that coconuts are very common around the world. They are not only on the European continent. From Europe, the plant is only in Spain, and even then not on the mainland, but on the Canary Islands, located near Morocco in Africa.
