Do coconuts grow on palm trees? Well, yes and no. While coconuts do grow up on coconut palm trees, they can’t be found on other types of palm trees.
My home state in India was quite popular among foreign tourists. The one thing that confused a lot of them was sighting the many coconut palm trees that dotted the area. Sure, they looked like the palm trees that you would find in places like California, but they didn’t look quite right.
Well, this is what I will be tackling in this post. I am going to give you more information about coconut trees and how they differ from other kinds of palm trees.
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Coconuts grow on coconut palm trees, which are also known by their scientific name, Cocos Nucifera. The coconut palm is quite tall, reaching heights of between 50 and 100 feet when full grown. The leaves are un-branched at the top of the trunk. The long, spindly leaves grow in pairs on opposite sides of each other.
After about six years into the growing period, the tree will bear female flowers which, in turn, will bear the coconut. Now, there are two types of trees, depending on the variety of the coconut palm. There is the dwarf and the tall tree.
The tall trees grow at a slower rate, reaching maturity later on. However, they do grow higher and produce coconuts that work well for coconut oil. The dwarf trees, on the other hand, can bear fruit up to a year or two sooner. These coconuts are ideal for their coconut water.
Now, these trees are largely found in Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. However, they occur naturally all over the world. The trees can even be grown in the southern part of Florida as well as the southernmost tip of Texas and Hawaii.
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Now, when you refer to a palm tree, you are probably talking about a specific plant. There is a good chance that you are describing the tall trees usually found on sandy beaches, tropical areas, or in hot, arid areas.
Well, what many people don’t realize is that there is more than one kind of palm tree. This means that although a coconut tree is considered a palm tree, not all palm trees are coconut trees.
Palm trees fall under the category of Arecaceae, which are woody vines, shrubs, or trees. This family boasts about 200 genera and 3,000 species. Thus, there are more types of palm trees than you can imagine!
Here are a couple of tips on how to tell the two kinds of trees apart:
Thanks to the drupes that they produce, coconuts are considered to be a life sustaining part of island and coastal ecosystems. It is why they are found in over 80 countries around the world. The tree is largely associated with the Asian-Pacific region.
Nevertheless, you can still find the trees in the east and west coasts of Africa. Furthermore, it is found in Central and South America as well. Many of the regions in the Indian, Caribbean, and Pacific oceans rely on coconuts for their economies.
One of the reasons that the coconut palm is available in so many countries has to do with the nature of the drupe. The fruit is naturally buoyant and holds up to long journeys in seawater quite well. And, when it finally washes up on shore, it is able to establish itself quite readily.
You aren't going to find coconut palms all over Florida, but they are quite common in South Florida. They tend to thrive in the warmer and more coastal parts of the region. The trees here can be a bit more unique than other coconut palms. You will often find that the trunk has a bit more curve to them.
So why do the coconut palms grow here and not in other parts of the state? Well, this all comes down to the climate. While these trees do thrive in warmer temperatures, they also require humidity and consistent rainfall. And, these are precisely the kind of conditions that South Florida offers up.
Another part of the States that is known for its palm trees is California. If you take a closer look, though, you will see that these are coconut palms at all. This is because the climate in California is too dry, making it inhospitable to the trees.
Then, what kind of palm tree can you find in the Golden State? There are actually several species here, but only one is native to Southern California – Washingtonia filifera, which is also known as California fan palm. The rest of the species of palm trees have been imported.
As mentioned, the native palm trees aren't found all over California – mostly in Southern California. This is because the trees are closer to natural water sources like in the Colorado desert. The other imported palms, though, are found closer to cities as they tap into manmade water sources.
Who would have thought that there was so much to know about coconut palms and palm trees in general? Although you may associate these trees with sunny, tropical places, you now know that there is quite a bit of diversity here!
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