How Many Times Can a Palm Tree Grow Coconuts?

Coconut Growth

• The coconut palm tree (Cocos nucifera) grows coconuts for as long as 80 years. Technically the "fruit" of the tree, coconuts begin to appear between six and 10 years after the tree has commenced germination. It reaches its full capacity to produce fruit between 15 and 20 years of age, providing, on average, between 400 and 500 coconuts annually. The coconut tree is a member of the Palmae family, also called the Arecaceae family.

Features

• The tree produces coconuts year-round with each fruit demanding one year to reach full maturity. The coconut claims a length of 15 inches and 12 inches in width. The fruit is surrounded by a brown, hairy husk that, when opened, reveals white flesh approximately 1 inch thick. The hollow of the fruit contains a white, watery liquid commonly called "coconut milk." The amount of this liquid will depend on how ripe the coconut is.

Tree

• The coconut tree itself is a woody perennial that grows upright or with a slight curve. Topped by a crown of leaves that can grow 18 feet long and 4 feet wide, the coconut fruit flowers from these leaves and spends its growing time in this section of the tree. The coconut is an important commercial crop, crucial to the economy of many tropical countries. To a lesser extent, it is grown commercially in the American state of Florida or planted as a landscape specimen.

Uses

• The coconut flesh and milk is utilized in a wide number of ways. The watery liquid is best harvested in green, immature nuts at approximately 5 months of age, a time when it will provide about 2 cups of liquid. This coconut milk can be sipped straight or utilized in other beverages. It may even be fermented into a beer in certain cultures. The meat of the coconut is commonly dried and utilized in candy, baking or enjoyed raw.