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TREE OF LIFE

The coconut tree (Cocos Nucifera L.) is called "The Tree of Life" because of the endless list of products and by-products derived from its various parts. Food, shelter, fuel - name it—the coconut has it. The coconut industry is considered a major dollar earner that provides livelihood to one-third of the country's population.

The Coconut Tree  

Coconut palm is the tall, graceful tree on which the coconut grows.  It probably is native to Southeast Asia and the islands of Melanesia in the Pacific Ocean.  But it has been introduced into all the tropical and subtropical parts of the world.  It stands from 40 to 100 feet (12 to 30 meters) high.  Large featherlike leaves spread from the top of its branchless trunk.   

The coconut palm is one of the most useful trees.  People in the tropics build houses and bridges from its wood.  They use whole leaves to make thatch roofs, and strips of leaves to make hats, mats, and baskets.  They also make a sweet drink called toddy or tuba from the sap of the tree's blossoms.  They also use this sap to make sugar, vinegar, and an alcoholic beverage. 

The coconut

The coconut is the fruit of the coconut palm.  Clusters of these large round fruits grow among the leaves of the tree.  Each coconut has a smooth light-colored rind.  Under the rind is a 1- to 2-inch (2.5- to 5-centimeter) husk of reddish-brown fibers.  The husk and rind surrounds a brown, woody shell that has three soft spots called eyes at one end.  The rind and husk are usually cut away before the coconuts are marketed.   

The coconut seed lies inside the shell.  It is a ball of crisp, white, sweet-tasting coconut meat covered by a tough brown skin.  Its hollow center holds a sugary liquid called coconut milk.  The coconut seed measures from 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) long and from 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) across.  

A well-tended tree produces about a hundred coconuts a year.  Each fruit takes about a year to ripen.  Ripe coconuts fall from the tree.  However, on plantations, the coconuts are usually cut from the trees every two or three months. 

Coconut Meat

Coconut Oil