Coconut Palms are, no doubt, the most universally recognized and economically important palm.  Copra (the dried "meat" of the seed), from which oil is extracted, is a significant cash crop throughout the tropics.  Coir, the fiber from the fruit, is used in manufacturing.  The fruits, or coconuts, yield several food products at different stages of development, and the leaves are used for thatch or are woven into baskets, mats and clothing.  Even the trunks are used for construction.  Of the tribe Cocoeae, and subfamily Arecoideae they are also known by the botanic name Cocos nucifera.

Common Name:  Coconut Palm

Botanical Name:  Cocos nucifera

Subfamily:  Arecoideae

Plant Type:  Solitary Palm Tree

Origin:  The Pacific Islands, but widely distributed world-wide in tropics

Zones: 10 - 11

Height:  50-80'

Rate of Growth: Moderate

Salt Tolerance: High

Soil Requirements:  Widely adaptable

Water Requirements: High drought tolerance

Nutritional Requirements: Moderate

Light Requirements: High

Form:  Solitary palm, canopy of 20-30 leaves

Leaves:  Pinnately compound, reduplicate, slightly twisted, eventually drooping with 150-200 leaflets.

Inflorescence: 3-5' long

Fruits: Green, yellow, orange, eventually brown

Pests or diseases:  Certain varieties are susceptible to lethal yellowing, potassium deficiency, bud rot, gandomera, Palm Aphid and Coconut Mite.

Uses:  Specimen plant

Bad Habits: Susceptible to lethal yellowing, ask for cultivars resistant to the disease.

Cost:  $$ - $$$ -- Reasonable to Expensive

Propagation:   Fresh seed, germinates in 4-6 months