Cocos Nucifera Classification

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Taxonomic Classification and Taxonomical Description of Cocos nucifera
Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Tracheophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Arecales

Family: Arecaceae

Genus: Cocos

Species: Cocos nucifera L.

Common name: Coconut palm

Source:Chan and Elevitch, 2006. Cocos nucifera(coconut). species Profiles for Pacicic Agroforestry. ver.2.1, page 3, www.traditionaltree.org
Coconut is believed to have its origin in the Indo-Malayan region, from whence it spread throughout the tropical (Chan and Elevitch,2006). In the coastal areas of the tropics and subtropics where it is grown, it requires a hot, moist climate and deep alluvial or loamy soil. It thrives especially near the seaboard, and also in considerable distance …show more content…

Leaf stalks 1-2 cm in length and thornless (Orwa et.al. 2009).
Inflorescence consists of female and male axillary flowers. Flowers are small light yellow, in clusters that emerge from canoe-shaped sheaths among the leaves. The male flowers are small and more numerous while the female flowers are fewer, occasionally completely absent, and has larger, spherical structures, about 25mm in diameter (Orwa et.al. 2009).
Fruits are roughly ovoid, up to 5 cm long and 3 cm wide, and are composed of a thick, fibrous husk surrounding a somewhat spherical nut with a hard, brittle, hairy shell. The nut is 2-2.5 cm in diameter and 3-4 cm long. There are three (3) sunken holes of softer tissue, called ‘eyes’, are at one end of the nut. Inside the shell is a thin, white, fleshy layer known as the ‘meat’. The interior of the nut is hollow but partially filled with a watery liquid called ‘coconut milk’. The meat is soft and jellylike when immature but becomes firm with maturity. Coconut milk is abundant in unripe fruit but is gradually absorbed as ripening proceeds. The fruits are green at first, turning brownish as they mature; yellow varieties go from yellow to brown (Orwa et.al. …show more content…

Coconut palm has a remarkable ability to adapt to a wide range of soil types. Coarse sand is the natural habitat of coconut palm. It tolerates alkaline soils up to pH 7 and acid soils with pH 4.5 or higher. The ideal pH range is 5.5-7. (Chan and Elevitch,2006).
Ecological significance and Economic Significance of Cocos nucifera
There are lots of products that can be obtained from the coconut tree. All of its parts can be considered as raw materials that can be used to form a new product. The dried coconut endosperm is an edible source of cooking oil or also known as the coconut oil. Other food derivatives of coconut include the following: coconut chips, coconut jam, coconut honey, coconut candy and other desserts(Orwa et.al. 2009).
In agriculture, the Cocos nucifera is an important pollen source for honey production(Orwa et.al. 2009). The skim coating minus the cream skim and the sediments of the coconut extract are used to be the substitute sugar for bees in making honey (Koapaha and Lang,

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