Coconut palm

In our nursery we have specimens of Coconut trees in a pot up to a height of 6-7 meters. We also have several Coconut palm plantations on the ground with a height between 3-6 meters. This palm is native to northeastern Argentina, southern Brazil and Paraguay.

It is an elegant, tropical-looking palm tree, very decorative, being used both in isolation and in groups, in parks, gardens, avendias, forming alignments, etc. Its growth is fast, being able to reach 15 meters high and up to 60 cm in diameter at the base. The leaves are alternate, pinnate palms, with numerous leaflets along the spine, giving the leaf a feathery appearance, with a length of 2-3 meters.

The Coconut tree is a monoecious plant, with highly branched intrafoliary inflorescences protected by a woody and striated spathe, with white or yellow flowers, separated from the males of the females. The fruit is a fleshy and fibrous drupa, at the beginning of green color and yellow maturity, similar to olives.

This species prefers well drained soils, rich in nutrients and lots of sun. It needs a lot of humidity during the growing season and in winter it tolerates frost fairly well if the daytime temperatures are mild. Resists sea winds and salinity.

It is multiplied by seeds and they need heat and humidity to germinate. It is important that the fruits for sowing are caught half-green, not ripe, so they will germinate before, in about two months. The seeds have to be soaked for a week, changing the water several times and must be cleaned well since they have a substance in the pulp that prevents germination.