Cocos nucifera Essay -- Botany

Cocos nuciferaCocos nucifera is the scientific name of the common cocoa palm meat. This in truth tall palm tree is always an inviting symbol of the tropics. The plant is ane of the most valuable plants to man. It is a primary source of food, drink, and shelter. In Sanskrit the coconut palm is called kalpa vriksha, which is defined as the tree which provides all the necessities of life. Man discount use e rattling part of the coconut. The white nut-meat can be eaten keen or shredded and dried and use in most preparation recipes. A single coconut has as much protein as a quarter pound of beefsteak. Copra, the dried meat of the kernels, when crushed is the source of coconut oil colour. The husks, cognize as coir, is a short, coarse, elastic fibers used to make an thin thatch roofing material for houses. This very diverse plant is to a fault an excellent charcoal, which is produced from the shells, not only does it work as a grooming fuel, but also in the production of gas mask s and air filters. The outer(prenominal) part of the trunk of the coconut palm furnishes, a construction lumber, known as porcupine wood for houses and furniture. The swollen base of the trunk, when hollowed, can be turned into a hula drum that the Hawaiians use for entertainment. These are nevertheless a few examples of how extraordinary the coconut palm can be utilized. The coconut was first mentioned in 545 AD by an Egyptian monk named Cosmos Indicopleustes. He visited western India and Ceylon. In his Topographia Christiana, Cosmos describes the coconut as the great nut of India. The Mahavasma, an ancient chronological history of Ceylon, describes the planting of coconuts in that country in 589 AD. In 1280 Marco Polo, described coconut growing in Sumatra, as well as in Madras and Malabar... ...aried utilization of the coconut ordain always be important in the economic aspect. Raw Copra used to be the major export but as coconut oil is becoming more widely used its export is i ncreasing. Another qualifying is the export of coconuts in the shell to the exporting of desiccated coconut. Both of these changes squander benefited the countries of origin by creating more employment in the tropics. The coconut has been a growing success since the time it was first discovered and to this day this very diverse plant is still showing great potential. REFERENCES Child, Reginald. Coconuts. 2nd edition. Longman conclave Ltd. 1974. Woodruff, Jasper Guy, Ph.D. Coconuts Production, Processing, Products. The Avi Publishing Co, Inc, 1970. Encyclopedia Americana. Vol. 7 1989. Colliers Encyclopedia. Vol. 6 1984. Dictionary of Archaeology The facts of file.