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Coconut Palms
Cocos nucifera
Family: ArecaceaeSuppliers of Coconut Palm Trees or Seed
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Feature Article
 Dwarf coconut variety Malayan Red Dwarf growing in Malaysia (Image "Under A Healthy Malayan Red Dwarf Coconut Tree!" by Jason Thien licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped & exp. adjusted from original)
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Dwarf Coconuts
Few species are as well known and easily recognised as the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) irrespective of where you live in the world. No plant is more evocative of the tropics. You probably also know that this plant has a myriad of uses as food, construction materials and the production of other useful goods.
However, you may be surprised to learn that distinct varieties of coconut have arisen in various parts of the world, including many dwarf strains. These have many advantages over the "talls" in large scale cropping, home food gardens and ornamental planting.
Size and form
Within the broad grouping of "dwarf" are many varieties exhibiting a range of growth rates, husk colour, fruit qualities and other characteristics.
The dwarfs' main distinguishing characteristic is, of course, their size. While talls typically grow 20-30 metres, dwarfs typically will take 20 years to reach 8-10 m. Dwarf trees produce smaller nuts, but more prolifically [1, 2, 3].
While caution must still be exercised with respect to placement, with dwarfs the risk of serious injury from falling nuts is reduced. During the early years of bearing, nuts form below head height and even more mature specimens will be easier to harvest with domestic equipment.
Furthermore, these trees are more in scale with urban landscapes and the bold, tropical-look foliage can be appreciated better near eye level. 'Fiji Dwarf' (syn.'Niu Leka') has been identified as especially attractive, with dense foliage and a thickened trunk base (bole) more typical of the talls. The slender base of most dwarfs makes them less stable in cyclones/hurricanes, unfortunately [4].
 Malayan Yellow Dwarf variety growing in Malaysia. (Image "Cocos Nucifera - MYD Variety" by Jason Thien licensed under CC BY 2.0. |
Other Advantages
Another major feature of the dwarf group is precocious bearing, coming into fruit within around 3 years (at only about 1 metre high) versus 6 or more years for the talls. The 30-40 years of productive life is only about half that of the talls, but quite long enough for most home gardeners [1, 5].
Coconuts produce male and female flowers on the same inflorescence, but the ability to produce both sexes at the same time affects efficiency of self-pollination. Fortunately, the dwarfs are usually self-fertile. However, if more than one type is growing in the area, including talls, the possibility for cross-pollination exists. This is worth remembering when when trying to source seeds of known heritage or using homegrown nuts for propagation.
On the other hand, controlled hybridisation programs are taking advantage of the dwarfs' genetics to improve coconut production. One of the highly-sought traits found in some dwarfs is resistance to the devastating Lethal Yellowing disease [4, 6].
Climate
The biggest limitation to cultivation of coconuts is climate. While they are associated with beaches due to their salt tolerance and seafaring seeds, they can be grown inland on a range of soils if the climate, rainfall/irrigation and humidity are adequate.
In the tropical north of Australia, coconuts will grow and fruit but have not yet been exploited commercially to any great degree. With many other tropical crops (e.g. vanilla, coffee, cacao) starting to be developed seriously in the north, this situation could change.
Fruiting coconuts in Florida occur as far north as Orlando, 28.4°N [7]. Coconuts have likewise been reported on the East coast of Australia as far south as Brisbane and the Gold Coast (approx 27-28° S) [8]. Years to fruit, reliability and quality of fruiting can be affected by unfavorable climate [2, 8], unfortunately, but this could be an acceptable risk for a home gardener developing an edible landscape. If the ornamental qualities of the tree alone are sought, the trees might be grown further south still before cold damage becomes a problem [9].
 Coconut (variety unknown) on a Brisbane beach (27°20' S). (Image "House at Nudgee Beach, Queensland" by Kgbo is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped from original)
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Further experimentation with varieties could improve growers' chances of success in marginal areas. There appears to be little formal research on this to date. However, anecdotal evidence suggests the tall types are more cold hardy than the dwarfs [10] and that among the dwarfs the Malayan may be a little hardier than the Fiji [4].
A study on soil fertilisation [11] has demonstrated the potential of cultural practices to extend climatic range. Changes in climate could also alter the boundaries of growing in the future.
Coconuts, especially the dwarfs [12], require good consistent rainfall and would not be suitable for dry areas where supplemental irrigation could not be supplied, but this is largely the case for any fruiting plant where a good yield is sought.
Flowers provide an alternative harvest
One of the problems encountered with growing them near their climatic limit is poorly formed nuts. If flowers are still made, however, perhaps it will still be possible to obtain an edible harvest by "tapping" them. That is, cutting off the inflorescence and harvesting the sweet sap that exudes from the stalk. This can be drunk fresh, used in cooking, fermented into alcohol or vinegar, or processed into syrup or crystalline sugar.
Dwarf varieties offer an obvious advantage for sap production given the tapping point must be regularly accessed during the period of harvest.
Coconut flowers are attractive to bees, so honey could also be considered an indirect edible harvest.
In Conclusion
Dwarf coconuts have a lot to offer gardeners living tropical regions. If you're gardening in the subtropics and you like to try your hand something a bit different, why not give one a go? It could be an interesting, and potentially rewarding, experiment.
References and Other Resources
More Online Information
Coconuts, General
Coconuts
News
Earthquake-proof coconuts
When coconuts fall, often from a great height, the fruit must be able to protect the seed within from the impact. A German research team is now studying it's structure with a view to improving the shock resistance of buildings. A distinctive ladder-like vascular system within the endocarp (the coconut "shell") is thought to resist bending forces and dissipate energy. Similar fibres in concrete could potentially help structures resist earthquakes and other disasters. Source: Coconuts could inspire new designs for earth-quake proof buildings (July 2016)
DNA holds coconut history
Analysis of coconuts from all over the world has revealed two distinct genetic groups, suggesting humans in the Pacific basin began cultivating coconuts quite independently of people in the the Indian Ocean basin. Meanwhile, the differing DNA of coconuts found, for example, on the east and west coasts of central America, reflects the patterns of trade and colonisation of the seafarers that brought them there. Read more at the Washington University in St. Louis website: Deep history of coconuts decoded (June 2011)
Tall coconut palms present problems at Bangara
A number of tall cocunut palms are to be removed from Bangara (Bundaberg region) in the interests of public safety. Besides the danger of falling nuts, trees over 20m require a crane for maintenance, which is particularly dangerous when working with with flexible, swaying palm trunks. As the palms grow old, they're also prone to rotting and breakage. Source: Dangerous coconut palms to be removed (November 2009)
