Lying Under the Coconut Tree

Thoughts of lying under a coconut tree always seemed so relaxing to me. Lying there, I began to really look at the tree. It's amazing how such a tall slender tree can support the huge amount of limbs and coconuts at the top of the tree and sway so gently in the wind.

Lying there, you can see the blooms that start the small coconuts.

There really isn't a coconut season since they bloom year round and continue to make coconuts all the time. With so many coconuts being generated it seems like a coconut actually sprouting to make a new tree must be a rare occasion.

The coconuts grow in a bunch all supported by the small limbs that once held the blooms. As they grow, sometimes there isn't enough room for all of them and some are forced off the bunch and fall to the ground. The small coconuts can start falling when they are smaller than a fist and continue falling as they grow to full size.

At full size the coconuts are a little smaller than a person's head with an oblong shape. These coconuts are ready for harvest. You may have bought fresh coconuts before and are thinking that these look different, they do. These coconuts still have the rind on the outside that is removed to produce the round coconut that you would be familiar seeing.

If the mature coconuts are left on the tree some will occasionally be force off the bunch by the movement of the tree in the wind. This can be a major hazard for those of us lying underneath, but it isn't the only hazard.

If you read the previous post on palms you know that palms grow from the inside out and shed their oldest limbs to form the rings we see on the trees. These limbs weigh ten to fifteen pounds apiece and fell from about 30 feet.

To avoid these hazards, we normally pay to have the older limbs removed before they start falling and the coconuts are taken away for free. This normally has to be done a few times a year, but after that, it's safe to relax under that coconut tree again.

Related posts:
Garden Fan Palm
The Amazing Palm Tree