Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera)

Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is a species of plant in Arecaceae, a single member in Cocos, a tree with a height of up to 30 meters, large leaves, large fruit with inner flesh as a food source, used in almost all parts and is considered a versatile plant, especially for coastal communities.

C. nucifera has a single stem or is sometimes branched. Fiber roots, thick and woody, clustered to form weevils, adaptive to coastal sandy land. The trunk is segmented but when it is old it is not very visible, it is typical of the monocot type with spreading and woody vessels.





A single leaf has a large and strong stem, has pinnate, green or yellow or brown in color, deeply incised and looks like a compound leaf, grows alternately upward, piled up and leaves a mark on the stem.

The flowers are compounded in a series protected by bractea. Male and female flowers, green or yellow or brown, female flowers at the base of the panicle and male flowers far from the base.

Large fruit, 10-20 cm in diameter or even more, yellow or green or brown in color. The fruit is composed of mesocarp in the form of berlignin fibers to protect the hard and water-resistant endocarp. The endocarp protects the seeds which are only protected by a membrane attached to the inner side.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Subfamily: Arecoideae
Tribe: Cocoseae
Subtribe: Attaleinae
Genus: Cocos L. in Sp. Pl.: 1188 (1753)
Species: Cocos nucifera L. in Sp. Pl.: 1188 (1753)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Calappa nucifera (L.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 982 (1891)
Palma cocos Mill. in Gard. Dict., ed. 8.: n.° 2 (1768)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cocos indica Royle in Ill. Bot. Himal. Mts.: 395 (1840)
Cocos mamillaris Blanco in Fl. Filip.: 722 (1837)
Cocos nana Griff. in Not. Pl. Asiat. 3: 166 (1851)
Cocos nucifera var. alangan Blume in Rumphia 3: 84 (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. alba Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. angustifolia Hassk. in Cat. Hort. Bot. Bogor. Alt.: 66 (1844)
Cocos nucifera var. aurea R.H.Pearson in Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 43: 257 (1908)
Cocos nucifera var. austera Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. bego Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. buri Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. calimbahin Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. capuliformis Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. cistiformis Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. como Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. crassissima Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. delicata Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. eburnea Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. edulis Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. elongata Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. fibrosa Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. fragilis Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. humilis Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. iners Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. javanica G.V.Narayana in Indian Coconut J. 2: 216 (1949)
Cocos nucifera var. laetevirens Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. lansiformis Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. lolog Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. machaeroides Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. macrocarpa Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. maldivica Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. mamillaris (Blanco) Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. microcarpa Hassk. ex F.W.T.Hunger in Cocos nucifera Handb. Kennis Cocos-palm Ned.-Ind., ed. 2: 46 (1916)
Cocos nucifera var. nana (Griff.) G.V.Narayana (1949)
Cocos nucifera var. ossea Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. palmyrensis (Becc.) Becc. in Agric. Colon. 10: 588 (1916)
Cocos nucifera f. palmyrensis Becc. in Bull. Coll. Hawaii Publ. 4: 44 (1916)
Cocos nucifera var. pinang Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. pretiosa Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. pruniformis Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. pumila Hassk. in Flora 25(2, Beibl. 1): 16 (1842)
Cocos nucifera var. regia Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. rubescens Hassk. (1842)
Cocos nucifera var. rutila Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. saccharina Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. sapida Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. spicata K.C.Jacob in J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 41: 906 (1940)
Cocos nucifera var. stupposa Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. suavis Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. subamara Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. subcandida Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. synphyllica Becc. (1916)
Cocos nucifera var. tabogog Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. tamisan Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. tenuissima Blume (1847)
Cocos nucifera var. viridis Hassk. (1842)
Diplothemium henryanum F.Br. in Bull. Bernice P. Bishop Mus. 84: 128 (1931)

PUBLICATIONS

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2005). Monocotyledons and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 52: 1-415.

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.

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Baker, W.J., Barfod, A.S., Cámara-Leret, R., Dowe, J.L., Heatubun, C.D., Petoe, P., Turner, J.H., Zona, S. & Dransfield, J. (2024). Palms of New Guinea: 1-726. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond.

Berendsohn, W.G., Gruber, A.K. & Monterrosa Salomón, J. (2012). Nova Silva Cusatlantica. Árboles natinos e introducidos de El Salvador. Parte 2: Angiospermae - Familias M a P y Pteridophyta. Englera 29-2: 1-300.

Boulvert, Y. (1977). Catalogue de la Flore de Centrafrique 3: 1-89. ORSTOM, Bangui.

Brunel, J.F., Hiepo, P. & Scholz, H. (eds.) (1984). Flore Analytique du Togo Phanérogames: 1-751. GTZ, Eschborn.

Catarino, L., Martins, E.S., Diniz, M.A. & Pinto-Basto, M.F. (2006). Check-list da flora vascular do parque natural das Lagos de Cufada (Guiné-Bissau). Garcia de Orta, Série de Botânica 17: 97-141.

Cirilo, N. & Proctor, G.R. (1994). Vascular plants of the Caribbean Swan islands of Honduras. Brenesia 41-42: 73-80.

Couvreur, T.L.P. & Sunderland, T.C.H. (2022). Flore du Cameroun 44: 1-138. Ministère de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche scientifique (Mesres), Yaoundé.

Dowe, J.L. (2010). Australian palms: biogeography, ecology and systematics: 1-290. CSIRO Publishing.

Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1-915. Chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Fairhurst, W. (2004). Flowering Plants of Ascension island: 1-300. Higham Press, Shirland, Alfreton, England.

Garcia-Mendoza, A.J. & Meave, J.A. (eds.) (2012). Diversidad florística de Oaxaca: de musgos a angiospermas (colecciones y listas de especies), ed. 2: 1-351. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

George, A.S., Orchard, A.E. & Hewson, H.J. (eds.) (1993). Oceanic islands 2. Flora of Australia 50: 1-606. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Girmansyah, D. & al. (eds.) (2013). Flora of Bali an annotated checklist: 1-158. Herbarium Bogorensis, Indonesia.

Gosline, G., Bidault, E., van der Burgt, X., Cahen, D., Challen, G., Condé, N., Couch, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dagallier, L.M.J., Darbyshire, I., Dawson, S., Doré, T.S., Goyder, D., Grall, A., Haba, P., Haba, P., Harris, D., Hind, D.J.N., Jongkind, & al. (2023). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea. Nature, scientific data 10, Article number: 327: [1]-[12].

Govaerts, R. & Dransfield, J. (2005). World Checklist of Palms: 1-223. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.

Hammel, B.E. & al. (2003). Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica 2: 1-694. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Henderson, A. (2009). Palms of Southern Asia: 1-197. Princeton university press, Princeton and Oxford.

Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.

Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.

Jones, M. (1991). A checklist of Gambian plants: 1-33. Michael Jones, The Gambia College.

Jørgensen, P.M., Nee, M.H. & Beck., S.G. (eds.) (2013). Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de Bolivia. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 127: 1-1741. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Lisowski, S. (2009). Flore (Angiospermes) de la République de Guinée. Scripta Botanica Belgica 41: 1-517.

Lorenzi, H., Noblick, L.R., Kahn, F. & Ferreira, E. (2010). Brazilian Flora Arecaceae (Palms): 1-268. Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora LTDA, São Paulo, Brazil.

MacKee, H.S. (1994). Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie, ed. 2: 1-164. Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris.

Molino, J.-F., Sabatier, D., Grenand, P., Engel, J., Frame, D., Delprete, P.G., Fleury, M., Odonne, G., Davy, D., Lucas, E.J. & Martin, C.A. (2022). An annotated checklist of the tree species of French Guiana, including vernacular nomenclature. Adansonia, sér. 3, 44: 345-903.

Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Nurtjahya, E. & al. (2026). Flowering Plants of Bangka Island: Native and Introduced. Acta Botanica Hungarica 68: 127-156.

Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403-500.

Pasha, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.

Powling, A. (2009). The palms of Buton, Indonesia, an island in Wallacea. Palms; Journal of the International Palm Society 53: 84-01.

Sharief, M.U. (ed.) (2024). Flora of India 28: 1-764. Botanical Survey of India.

Sosef, M.S.M. & al. (2006). Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon. Scripta Botanica Belgica 35: 1-438.

Stevens, W.D., Ulloa U., C., Pool, A. & Montiel, O.M. (2001). Flora de Nicaragua. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 85: i-xlii, 1-2666. Missouri Botanical Garden.

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Takeuchi, W. (2005). Floristic notes from a holocene successional environment in Papuasia. Harvard Papers in Botany 10: 95-116.

Timberlake, J.R. & Martins, E.S. (eds.) (2010). Flora Zambesiaca 13(2): 1-83. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Velayos, M., Barberá, P., Cabezas, F.J., de la Estrella, M., Fero, M. & Aedo, C. (2014). Checklist of the vascular plants of Annobón (Equatorial Guinea). Phytotaxa 171: 1-78.

Watling, D. (2005). Palms of the Fiji Islands: 1-191. Environmental Consultants (Fiji) Ltd., Suva.

Whistler, W.A. (2022). Flora of Samoa Flowering Plants: 1-930. National Tropical Botanicl Garden. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2010). Flora of China 23: 1-515. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Zizka, G. (1991). Flowering plants of Easter island. Palmarum Hortus Francofurtensis 3: 1-108.

VERNACULAR NAME

Afrikaans: Kokospalm
Arabic: جوز الهند - نارجيل
Arapaho: Biisnih'oo3ounookuhu'ee
Armenian: Կոկոսյան արմավենի
Banjar: Nyiur
Bikol: Niyog
Burmese: Ong
Carolinian: luu
Chamorro: Niyog, Niyok
Chinese (traditional): 那羅雞羅 - 可可椰子 - 椰子
Czech: Kokosovník ořechoplodý
Danish: Kokos-Palme
Dutch: Klapperboom, Kokospalm
English: Cocopalm, Coconut, Coconut palm
Filipino: Niyog, Iniug, Lubi, Ungut, Laying
Finnish: Kookospalmu
French: Cocotier, Coco
German: Kokosnusspalme, Kokospalme
Greek: Κοκοφοίνικας
Guangdong: 椰子
Guaymí: Köko
Haitian: Creole Kokoye
Hawaiian: Niu
Hebrew: קוקוס
Hindi: Nariyal, Narial-ka-Ped, Narial
Hong Kong: 椰子
Hungarian: Kókuszpálma
Indonesian: Kelapa
Italian: Palma da Cocco
Japanese: ココヤシ
Java: Krambil
Kaili Ledo: Kaluku
Kannada: Thengina mara
Khmer: Doong
Konkani: Narlu
Korean: 코코넛 - 코코야자
Lao: Phaawz
Lithuanian: Riešutinė kokospalmė
Luxembourgish: Kokosnoss
Macao: 椰子
Malayalam: Thengu
Malaysia: kelapa
Manipuri: Yubi
Marathi: Naral, Shriphal
Martinique: Pyé koko creole
Melayu: Kelapa, nyiur
Oria: Nadia, Nodia
Palauan: Lius
PNG: Kokonas
Polish: Kokos właściwy, Kokosowiec, Kokosowiec właściwy, Palma kokosowa
Portuguese: Coco, Coco-anão, Coqueiro, Coqueiro-anão, Coqueiro-comum
Russian: Кокосовая пальма
Sanskrit: Kalpavriksha, Narikelavrksah, Narikelah
Slovak: Kokosovník obyčajný, kokosovník orechoplodový, palma kokosová
Spanish: Cocotero
Swedish: Kokospalm
Tagalog: Niyog
Taiwan: 椰子
Tamil: Thennai, Tennai
Telugu: Kobbari chettu, Kobbari kaya, Narial, Nari, Narikelamu, Tenkaya
Thai: มะพร้าว
Tongan: Niu
Ukrainian: Кокос горіхоносний

Aryo Bandoro
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