How did the coconut get its name?

The Coconut is believed to have gotten its name in the 16^th Century, in Portuguese ‘Coco’ means ‘Monkey face’. This is because the three holes found at the base of the coconut have a resemblance to monkey’s facial features.

The modern coconut as we know, known to have existed during the Eocene Period (37 to 57 millions years ago) which was found in India and Australia. However, the origin of the coconut plant is the subject of debate since some scientific research suggests an Indo-Pacific origin (Pacific Ocean or Indian Ocean). While others see the origin in north western South America since the ‘Nipa’ fruit which is one example of an older palm fossil that has been found in the Americas.

Why is the coconut tree known as the tree of life?

The coconut tree or palm is also known as 'The Tree of Life'. In fact the Sanskrit name for the coconut palm is 'Kalpa Vriksha', meaning "tree which gives all that is necessary for living.”

In the tropics every part of the coconut tree is used in day to day life. There are many different uses for the coconut palm. The trunks of the tree are often used to make small boats, canoes or furniture. Coconut palm trunks are also being used to build small bridges or used to build the walls of small houses since the trunk is naturally strong and straight.

The coconut palm leaves provide material for baskets and roof thatches, they can also be stripped and tied together to make a broom. The ribs of the leaves are also sharpened to make spears and arrows.

The bud of an adult coconut palm can be eaten, they are also known as ‘heart of palm’. Heart of palm is often eaten in salads, this is often known as the ‘millionaire’s salad’ this is because the heart of palm is very rare.

The root of the coconut palm tree has its own uses it can be used as a dye, a mouthwash and a medicine for diarrhoea.

A coconut palm takes between 6 to 10 years to mature and bear fruit.

How tall does a coconut tree grow?

A coconut palm tree is probably the most well known of the palms. The botanical name is cocos nucifera. Although there are hundreds of varieties of coconut trees in terms of height they can be classified in to the tall variety and the dwarf variety. The dwarf tree grows up to 6 meters and the tall tree can grow up to an incredible 30 meters!

A Coconut tree requires humidity and a stable temperature to bloom. The trunk of a coconut palm is one to two feet in diameter. It has no branches but has crowns of leaves, which resembles a bunch of feathers with many segments and are usually about 3 meters to 3 meters long. 

You will find wild coconut trees on tropical seacoasts. When coconuts ripen, they fall from the tree and are often washed out to sea. This is one of the ways coconut trees propagate. When the coconuts are in contact with salty water they do not sprout but when the reach land with fresh water it starts to sprout. After about 6-10 years the tree will begin to bear fruit. Hybrid varieties these days could start producing coconuts much earlier.

A coconut palm tree could produce up to 200 coconuts a year, but the average is about 40 coconuts.

To find out more about how tall does a coconut palm tree grow :https://www.cocofina.com/blogs/everything-coconut/how-tall-does-a-coconut-palm-tree-grow

Welcome to our coconut facts & recipes blog

Hello Coconut Lovers

In 2004 Cocofina was the first to launch coconut water in Europe. During those days we had to explain the difference between coconut milk and coconut water. We have come such a long way from the coconut water being mostly consumed by ethnic communities to mainstream super market shelves. Fast forward to now Cocofina produce over 32 products. Our products are sold in health food shops all over the UK and in 28 countries outside of the UK. The reason we shunned the super markets was because we wanted to keep to our original mission. We believe in doing a great job with what we can rather that taking on more that we can handle.

We are relaunching our blog, we want to share coconut facts and yummy coconut recipes. Watch this space. Please feel to reach out to us with feedback.

All the best

Elena - Cocofina - The Coconut Experts