 Teal
waves curl onto a cream-colored beach. Towering
coconut palm trees line the shore, like giant
feather dusters rooted in the sand. The green
fronds of the trees rustle in the ocean breeze,
offering a shady retreat from the equatorial
heat.
To the modern dive traveler, coconut palms
signify warm seas and sunny beaches. To people
living in the tropical areas of the world, the
coconut palm is the “tree of life,” and has been an
important source of food, clothing and shelter for
thousands of years.
A Tree’s Roots
The origin of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera)
is the subject of an ongoing debate. The current
theory is that it is native to Malesia, a
biogeographical region roughly defined as an area
that includes Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Australia,
New Guinea, and several Pacific island groups. It is
difficult to know when humans began cultivating the
coconut palm, but there is evidence to suggest that
3,000 years ago coconuts were being used in India.
Today, coconut palms grow throughout the tropics
in a band around the world 25 degrees north and 25
degrees south of the equator. The tree can be found
in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, India, Australia, the
Pacific Islands, South America, Africa, the
Caribbean, and the southern extremes of North
America. Ideal growing conditions for coconut palms
include free-draining aerated soil often found on
sandy beaches, a supply of fresh groundwater, a
humid atmosphere, and temperatures between 80 and 86
degrees Fahrenheit (27 and 30 degrees Celsius).
Both humans and marine currents are responsible
for distributing the coconut palm around the world.
Portable and slow to rot, coconuts were carried in
the ships of explorers and the canoes of the nomadic
Polynesians. Saltwater-resistant and also able to
float, coconuts can ride marine currents long
distances and can germinate even after three months
bobbing at sea.
Botanically Speaking
There are two varieties of coconut palm: tall or
dwarf. The tall variety is commonly planted for
commercial purposes. With a life span of 60-80
years, it is considered a “three-generation tree” as
it can support a farmer, his children, and his
grandchildren. The tree is slow to mature, bearing
coconuts in six to 10 years. A mature tree has a
trunk about 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter and can
obtain a height of 100 feet (30 m). The top of the
tree is adorned with 20 or so large downward curving
leaves, called fronds, each about 10-15 feet (3-4.5
m) long. The dwarf variety is about a third the
size, has a shorter life span and is difficult to
grow, but valued because it produces coconuts
earlier than the tall tree.
While a coconut is commonly thought to be a nut,
it is actually the fruit of the tree. The coconut is
classified botanically as a “drupe,” defined as a
stone fruit that usually has a single hard stone
encasing a seed. Peaches, plums and cherries are
other examples of drupes. Coconuts resemble warped
footballs and grow in clusters of 10-20, with 10 or
12 clusters visible on a tree at one time. Each
coconut consists of a smooth outer rind (epicarp), a
thick fibrous husk (mesocarp), and a stony inner
shell (endocarp) pitted with three small “eyes” or
germination pores. The pores are often called the
“monkey face.” Everything within the hard shell
comprises the coconut seed.
Tropical Bounty
One coconut takes a full year to mature from a
flower into a ripe fruit. During this time the
coconut passes through four development stages, each
with different food properties:
Stage 1. When the coconut is immature, or green,
the liquid within the inner shell is sweet and
refreshing, and can yield up to a liter of juice.
Since it’s sealed in its own hygienic container, the
liquid can be used in place of sterile water for
medicinal purposes, and is often used to treat
dehydration and upset stomachs. During World War II,
the liquid of the green coconut was used as a
substitute for a medical saline drip, saving the
lives of many soldiers stationed in the tropical
Pacific.
Stage 2. As the coconut begins to ripen, a thin
white layer of “meat” begins to line the inner
shell. The “meat” has the consistency of a
soft-boiled egg at this stage and can be eaten with
a spoon.
Stage 3. The coconut continues to ripen as it
remains on the tree. The meaty inner lining of the
shell thickens and hardens, and the liquid turns to
tasteless water. The fresh meat can be shredded and
used in cooking, or dried to produce “copra,” from
which coconut oil is extracted.
Stage 4. If a coconut ripens fully on the tree
and falls to the ground, it can germinate under the
right conditions. As it sprouts, a white spongy
sweet ball, called the “apple,” develops within the
inner shell, absorbing both the liquid and meat. The
apple can be eaten, and is considered a sweet
delicacy.
Other food and beverage products derived from
the coconut palm make the tree a versatile and vital
source of sustenance to tropical cultures. In
addition to the juice of the coconut, another
beverage comes from a different part of the tree.
The flowering stalk, called the inflorescence, can
be bound, cut and tapped for its sap. Called sweet
toddy, the fresh sap is loaded with nutrients and is
the daily drink in many tropical cultures. The sap
can also be boiled to make syrup, or fermented into
an alcoholic beverage.
A common product used in the cuisine of
Southeast Asia — coconut milk — is not the same
thing as coconut juice from the inner shell. Coconut
milk is made by soaking fresh or dried coconut meat
in warm water, filtering the solid material, and
allowing the “cream” to rise to the surface. Coconut
oil, derived from copra, is also used in cooking.
Another food product comes from the cylindrical
stalks of new, unopened leaf shoots at the top of
the tree. Called heart of palm, the food is prized
for its crunchy texture and refreshing taste.
Extracting the heart kills a coconut palm tree, and
as a result a heart of palm salad earned the
nickname “millionaire’s salad.” Fortunately, there
are other species of palm trees that do not die when
their hearts are harvested, and these provide heart
of palm in commercial quantities.
 The
Giving Tree
The variety of edible products derived from the
coconut palm qualifies the tree for VIP — Very
Important Plant — status. But wait; there’s more. As
the Indonesians say, “there are as many uses for the
coconut palm as there are days of the year.”
The tree is an excellent source of building
materials. Posts and beams are made from the tree’s
trunk. Thatched roofs, made by placing the long
leaves close together, keep water out and allow air
to circulate. Strong siding comes from the dried
spines of the fronds. In addition to providing
materials for structural shelters, the standing
trees shelter people and animals from sun and rain.
They also act as an important barrier to tropical
storms, as they’re flexible and able to withstand
high winds.
For clothing and household needs, the husk of
the coconut is spun into a saltwater-resistant fiber
called “coir,” used to make ropes, nets, mats,
brushes and sewing thread. The leaves of the tree
can be woven into hats, baskets, fans and brooms.
Other household items such as bowls, spoons and
buttons are carved from the hard shell of the
coconut. Handicrafts and jewelry, made from various
parts of the tree, are sold to tourists. All parts
of the tree can be composted into fertilizer, and
the leaves used as animal feed. The leaves, husks
and shells are burned for fuel.
Commercially, charcoal filters made from coconut
shells are used in gas masks and cigarettes, and are
considered superior to filters made from other
sources. The cosmetic and hygiene industries have
incorporated coconut oil into makeup, soap, moisture
creams, and hair care products.
Throughout history, man has tinkered with nature
in an attempt to create the perfect plant. In the
case of the coconut palm tree, nature beat him to
it.
Coconut Folklore
Since the coconut palm is vital to many
cultures, it follows that there are numerous beliefs
and legends regarding this prized plant. In India,
the coconut symbolizes the goddess of fertility, and
is bestowed upon women wishing to bear children.
Similarly, in parts of Africa, Asia and the Pacific,
the coconut palm represents birth, and a tree is
planted for every newborn. In the Philippines, human
origin is believed to come from two coconuts, one
male and one female, washed ashore from the sea.
Polynesian legend says that coconuts only grow where
they can hear the sound of the sea and human voices.
Many legends tell the origin of the coconut
palm, and that of Tonga is retold here. On a remote
Tongan island there lived a beautiful young girl
named Heina. She lived beside a freshwater lake with
her parents. Every morning Heina bathed in the lake
and was watched by an eel that fell in love with
her. Heina agreed to marry the eel, but her parents
forbade it. The father trapped the eel, and before
killing him allowed him to see Heina one last time.
The eel begged her to ask her parents to keep his
head and bury it outside her house. This was done,
and each day Heina sat and shed tears where the head
was buried.
After a time, a green shoot peeked through the
tear-nurtured soil, and Heina realized she was
pregnant. As the plant grew, so did the child
inside her. Heina bore a son, and the plant grew
taller to become the first coconut palm. As the boy
grew, he climbed the tree and brought down the fruit
from the top. Heina knew that the strange tree would
be of use to her people. As a reminder of this love
story, the eel’s face can be seen on every coconut
in the form of three dark patches — two for the eyes
and one for the mouth. It is from the mouth that the
goodness comes, for this is the only place to make a
hole to reach the sweet juice inside.
What’s in a Name?
To Portuguese and Spanish explorers, the three
dark patches at the base of a coconut shell
resembled the face of a goblin. “Coco” in Portuguese
and Spanish is the word for goblin. The word coco
has often been translated to mean monkey face.
In the mid-1700s, Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of
the English Language lists “cocoanut” as the fruit
of the coconut palm. It was surmised that Johnson
confused coconuts with cacao beans, later called
cocoa, when chocolate made its way to England. Over
time, the “a” was omitted.
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