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Coconut

Cocos nucifera

The iconic tropical palm, grown for refreshing water from green nuts and rich white meat from mature ones. Dwarf types fruit within a few years and stay within reach longer than the classic tall palms.

Tree facts

Scientific name
Cocos nucifera
Origin
Tropical Asia and the Pacific
Tree size
Tall types 50–80 ft; dwarf types grow slowly, staying under 20 ft for years
Growth rate
Medium
Sun
Full sun
Soil
Sandy, well-drained soil; tolerates salt spray and seaside conditions
Soil pH
5.5–8.0
Pollination
Self-fertile; dwarf types usually pollinate themselves, tall types are mostly cross-pollinated
Cold hardiness
Leaves burn near 32°F; extended cold below about 28°F can kill the palm
USDA zones
10b–11
Years to first fruit
3–5 for dwarf types; 6–10 for tall types
Season
Year-round
Water
About every 7 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
Feeding
About every 90 days, Mar–Sep
Pruning
Apr, May, Sep, Oct
Taste
Green nuts hold mildly sweet water and soft jelly meat; mature nuts have firm, rich, nutty white meat
Nutrition
Water provides potassium and electrolytes; meat is high in fiber and fat, mostly saturated

Is coconut safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

  • Water and soft jelly meat from green nuts
  • Mature meat, fresh, dried or pressed into milk, cream and oil
  • Spongy sprouted seed (coconut apple) from germinating nuts
  • Heart of palm (harvesting it kills the palm)

Toxic parts and cautions

  • Take care: Falling nuts and fronds can seriously injure people and damage cars. Remove nuts and dead fronds from palms over walkways, patios and parking spots at least twice a year.
  • Good to know: In the US, coconut is labeled as a tree nut, but true coconut allergy is uncommon and most people with tree-nut allergies can eat it. Ask an allergist before trying it.
  • Good to know: Coconut water is high in potassium; people with kidney disease or on potassium-restricted diets should drink it only with a doctor's okay.

Pets: Small amounts of fresh meat are generally safe for dogs but can upset the stomach. Skip coconut water for pets because of its potassium, and keep husk and shell away to prevent blockages.

How to eat and enjoy coconut

  • Coconut water straight from a green nut
  • Fresh grated coconut in curries, chutneys and desserts
  • Coconut milk in Thai curries, Filipino ginataan and Caribbean rice and peas
  • Toasted coconut, macaroons and coconut cream pie

When it's ripe

Drinking nuts are ready about 6–8 months after the flower opens, when they're full-sized, bright and slosh only a little. Mature nuts take about 12 months; the husk turns brown and they fall on their own.

Storing it

Green nuts keep 2–3 weeks refrigerated. Mature nuts keep for weeks at room temperature. Grated fresh meat freezes well.

Coconut varieties (8)

  • Fiji Dwarf · also Niu Leka

    A very compact coconut with short, wide fronds and a thick trunk.

    Origin: Fiji

  • Golden Malayan Dwarf · also Red Malayan Dwarf

    A dwarf coconut with orange-gold nuts.

    Origin: Malaysia · Size: Small to medium

  • Green Malayan Dwarf

    A dwarf coconut with green nuts that bears young and heavily; popular for drinking nuts.

    Origin: Malaysia · Size: Small to medium

    Planted widely in Florida for its tolerance of lethal yellowing, though it isn't immune.

  • Jamaica Tall

    The classic tall coconut once common across Florida and the Caribbean.

    Highly susceptible to lethal yellowing; most Florida palms of this type were lost to it.

  • King coconut · also Thambili, King

    An orange-husked coconut grown for its especially sweet water.

    Origin: Sri Lanka · Taste: Very sweet water

  • Maypan

    A hybrid of Malayan Dwarf and Panama Tall, bred for lethal yellowing tolerance and vigor.

    Origin: Jamaica · Size: Medium to large

  • Panama Tall

    A tall coconut with large nuts, valued as a parent for hybrids.

    Size: Large

  • Yellow Malayan Dwarf

    A dwarf coconut with bright yellow nuts and fronds, prized as an ornamental and for drinking nuts.

    Origin: Malaysia · Size: Small to medium

    Tolerates lethal yellowing better than tall types, but isn't immune.

Pests and diseases to watch for

  • Scale insects

    Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

    What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

  • Mealybugs

    White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

    What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

  • Aphids

    Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

    What to do: Spray off with water.

  • Sooty mold

    Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

    What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

  • Spider mites

    Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

    What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.

Growing coconuts? Let Gardyn keep track.

Gardyn tells you when your coconut needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.

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General guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.