Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera)

Family: Arecaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (5/5)

Coconut, cocus nucifera, is a monoecious large palm of about 30 m tall with long pinnate leaves that break away cleanly leaving the unbranched trunk smooth. The fruit is a drupe comprised of three layers: the exocarp, mesocarp (coconut husk), and the endocarp. The root system of coconut is fibrous. There is a dwarf variety. It is known as the tree of life for all of its plant parts has a wide range of uses.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Nuts/Seeds, Shoots, Roots/Tubers, Flowers, Sap/Syrup

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

flavouring in cakes, curries etc. — Edible portion: Nut (Seed), Sap, Cabbage, Nut milk, Apple, Palm heart.; Seed - raw or cooked A very versatile food, being eaten raw and used in a wide range of cooked dishes.; The seed is often dried then shredded to be used as a flavouring in cakes, curries etc.; Coconut milk or cream, which is pressed from the mix of freshly grated seed with water, has been a traditional ingredient in many African and especially Asian food and bakery products, and is becoming more widely known The flesh inside a half-ripe seed is gelatinous and clear in colour, it is eaten as a delicacy either raw or cooked.

Habitat & North American Range

Commonly found along tropical seashores, sometimes extending inland on alluvial plains with a high water table, but avoiding waterlogged soils. (Zone 10)