fruits & vegetables :: NATURALIZED, CULTIVATED :: Arecaceae (palm family) » Cocos nucifera

[Dinesh Valke]

Arecaceae (palm family) » Cocos nucifera


KOH-kohs -- from Portugese word coco for mask, referring to eyes-like depressions on fruit
noo-SIFF-er-uh -- nut-bearing


commonly known as: coconut • Bengali: নারকেল narakela, নারকেল narokel • Gujarati: નારિયેળ nariyel • Hindi: नारियल nariyal • Kannada: ತೆಂಗು tengu • Kashmiri: नोरिल noril • Konkani: नार्लु narlu • Malayalam: തെങ്ങ് thengu • Manipuri: য়ুবী yubi • Marathi: नारळ naral, श्रीफळ shriphal • Pali: नालिकेर nalikera • Punjabi: ਨਾਰੀਅਲ narial • Sanskrit: दीर्घपादपः dirgapadapah, दीर्घपत्रः dirghapatrah, दुर्हः durhah, कल्पवृक्ष kalpavriksha, करकम्भस् karakambhas, करकतोयः karakatoyah, कौशिकफलः kaushikaphalah, खानमुदकः khanamudakah, किकिः kikih, नारिकेर narikera, त्रिनेत्रफलः trinetraphalah, तृणम्द्रुमः trnamdrumah, तृणम्राजः trnamrajah, तृणम्वृक्षः trnamvrukshah, उच्चतरुः uchchataru, विश्वामित्रप्रियः vishwamitrapriyah • Tamil: தெங்கு tengku • Telugu: నారికేడము nari-kelamu • Urdu: ناریل nariyel


Native of: Malesia, n Australia, s-w Pacific; widely naturalized / cultivated elsewhere


Edible use:

... meat in a young coconut (as FRUIT) is softer and more gelatinous than a mature coconut, so much so, that it is sometimes known as coconut jelly ... eaten fresh ... Wikipedia
... meat of mature coconut (as VEGETABLE) - shredded fresh, and used as additive in various recipes
... meat of mature coconut (as FRUIT) - eaten raw, or shredded fresh and used as additive or main ingredient in making of sweet delicacies
... apical buds of adult plants are edible (as VEGETABLE), and are known as"palm-cabbage" or heart-of-palm ... considered a rare delicacy ... as harvesting the buds kills the palms ... Wikipedia

some facts and trivia:

... origins of this plant are the subject of debate.
... Coconuts' versatility is sometimes noted in its naming. In Sanskrit it is kalpa vriksha ("the tree which provides all the necessities of life")
... spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word
... term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut
... Indian state of Kerala is known as the Land of coconuts
... Coconut palms are grown in more than 80 countries of the world
... Coconuts received the name from Portuguese explorers, the sailors of Vasco da Gama in India, who first brought them to Europe. The brown and hairy surface of coconuts reminded them of a ghost or witch called Coco. ... When coconuts arrived in England, they retained the coco name and nut was added.
Quoted from Wikipedia

... flood tolerant

... symbol of the tropics

Quoted from Top Tropicals

... popularly known as "Tree of Life", "Tree of Heaven", "Kalpaviriksha", "Tree of Abundance", "Natures' Supermarket" is grown in more than 93 countries
... Coconut provides food, drink, medicine, shelter and aesthetic sense
... sustains millions and millions of small holders of coconut for their livelihood.
... supports large number of coconut based industries and thereby the millions of labourers, both men and women are solely depending on this crop.
... consumed in more than 120 countries.
Quoted from EcoPort

Symbolic status:

State Tree of Kerala, India

 

[mani nair]

Nice photo.

Regards,

Mani

On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 12:03 AM, Dinesh Valke <dinesh...@gmail.com> wrote:

Arecaceae (palm family) » Cocos nucifera


KOH-kohs -- from Portugese word coco for mask, referring to eyes-like depressions on fruit
noo-SIFF-er-uh -- nut-bearing

commonly known as: coconut • Bengali: নারকেল narakela, নারকেল narokel • Gujarati: નારિયેળ nariyel • Hindi: नारियल nariyal • Kannada: ತೆಂಗು tengu • Kashmiri: नोरिल noril • Konkani: नार्लु narlu • Malayalam: തെങ്ങ് thengu • Manipuri: য়ুবী yubi • Marathi: नारळ naral, श्रीफळ shriphal • Pali: नालिकेर nalikera • Punjabi: ਨਾਰੀਅਲ narial • Sanskrit: दीर्घपादपः dirgapadapah, दीर्घपत्रः dirghapatrah, दुर्हः durhah, कल्पवृक्ष kalpavriksha, करकम्भस् karakambhas, करकतोयः karakatoyah, कौशिकफलः kaushikaphalah, खानमुदकः khanamudakah, किकिः kikih, नारिकेर narikera, त्रिनेत्रफलः trinetraphalah, तृणम्द्रुमः trnamdrumah, तृणम्राजः trnamrajah, तृणम्वृक्षः trnamvrukshah, उच्चतरुः uchchataru, विश्वामित्रप्रियः vishwamitrapriyah • Tamil: தெங்கு tengku • Telugu: నారికేడము nari-kelamu • Urdu: ناریل nariyel

[mani nair]

Here are some of the photos of coconut tree.

Place : Pattambi, Kerala

Date  : June 2010

Regards,

Mani.

[Gurcharan Singh]

Coconut is rarely to be seen in Delhi, with few small trees in odd nurseries or private homes, but there are a few full grown fruiting specimens in the compound of Cambridge School in Rajouri Garden. Here is the proof of that.

 

--
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/

[mani nair]

Gurcharan ji nice photo of the fruits and coconut tree.  What could be the reason for the decreasing number of coconut trees in Delhi.  Is it because of the climate change?

Regards,

Mani.

[Gurcharan Singh]

Not decreasing number Mani ji. There have not been coconut trees in Delhi because of its dry climate, with just 66 cm of annual rainfall, and acute winter (this year it has gone down to 2.5 degree C a few days back). A few specimens properly cared after survive at few places. These are only full grown fruiting specimens I have seen in Delhi.

 

--
Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/

x

[tanay bose]

Very commonly seen in my state

Tanay

--

Tanay Bose

Research Assistant & Teaching Assistant.
Department of Botany.
University of British Columbia .
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