A kayaker's ode to the coconut

Fall 2008

Ecology

This symbol of the tropics provides more than just shade – but watch
where you string your hammock!

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

By James Michael Dorsey

The world’s most useful tree has nearly killed me twice. And although I’ve been known to hold a grudge, I just can’t stay mad at Cocos nucifera.

A group readies for some kayak sailing under the cover of coconut palms – an image tropical dreams are made of.

Like many folks who grew up north of 48 degrees, to me coconut palms are pretty much the ultimate symbol of the tropics. They represent sunshine and warm water, featuring prominently in our midwinter dreams, not to mention midwinter vacation brochures. They hold up our hammocks and contain our piña coladas. Their gently swaying fronds offer an escape from freezing temperatures and endless drizzle. And, of all things, they help make Nanaimo bars so tasty.

But there’s more to the coconut palm than the shivery dreams of northerners. In places where the trees actually grow, people take them very seriously. You and some coconut trees could live for quite some time while stranded on that mythical island. Coconut palms provide just about everything a person needs as far as food, water and shelter goes. Locals don’t call them things like the “tree of life” or the “tree of a thousand uses” for nothing.

I have paddled past coconut palms in the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific, and stood in their shade on large continents and small atolls. I have lived amongst them for months at a time, joyously soaking up their ambiance, shade and offerings of food and water. Despite their largesse, living under a tree with hardened fruit that can weigh over two kilograms and be precariously suspended over 60 feet above your head is not without risks. Twice in my life, large coconuts have come slamming to earth with skull-crushing force just a few feet away. Be careful where you string that hammock!

Nutty Natural History

The coconut is the fruit of a coconut palm tree, Cocos nucifera. There are plenty of other types of palm trees, but none have fruit quite like a coconut. There’s apparently a Portuguese boogeyman called the coco, which is something like ghost or witch with a pumpkin head. Those three dots which give the huskless coconut its “face” apparently reminded Portuguese sailors of the spook from their childhood, and so the coco-nut got its name.

Coconut palms have shallow roots and large green fronds at the top of their smooth trunks, some varieties of which can grow close to 100 feet tall. There’s quite a bit of biological and historical controversy about where the coconut palm originated and how it managed to spread all over the world. The trees are now considered pan-tropical, meaning they can be found just about anywhere in the tropics. Stretching back into prehistory, people undoubtedly brought coconuts with them as they colonized most of the world’s islands. Even without the help, coconuts themselves, which are big old seeds after all, can drift considerable distances and still take root. Coconut palms need moisture, so you don’t normally find them in dry areas without irrigation. Still, they are symbolic of the tropics in part because you might find one on any coastline between Cancer and Capricorn.

So what are some ways you can really appreciate the glory of a coconut palm? We’re not talking a trip to the baking section of your local grocery store here; this list is for those who love to paddle. You’ll need to take a trip to somewhere where coconut palms grow tall and proud. You know you want to.

 

The author in Fiji with one of the coconuts that nearly killed him. And we're going to avoid the obvious joke at Bryan's expense that he's the one on the right (online, at least).

Shade: One of the first things that kayakers appreciate about coconut palms is shade. These trees love sandy soil, and don’t mind a bit it if it’s salty, so they grow right next to oceans throughout the tropics, often leaning right out over the sea in protected waters. There’s nothing like pulling up to a beautiful, secluded beach and ducking out of that tropical sun into the shade of a coconut tree. It’s generally not a big patch of shade, but it does the trick. Try to find a spot that’s in the shade but not directly under the coconuts.

Water: Coconut water, which is sweet and plentiful when slurped out of green (unripe) coconuts, is hard to describe in print. Suffice it to say that it’s tasty, it’s nutritious, it’s safe to drink and there are plenty of folk that will swear by its medicinal properties. Coconut water is fat-free and helps replenish your minerals. Having said all that, it’s not especially easy to get a green coconut down from a tall tree and hack it open without spilling the water, but depending on where you are, you can give it a try yourself or buy it cheap from locals with machetes and straws.

Food: Coconut meat is interesting stuff. In a green coconut, the white stuff inside is thin and almost jelly like – not to most people’s taste. In a ripe coconut the meat is firm and tasty, perhaps because it’s fatty. Saturated fatty. Scientists are still quibbling about whether or not that saturated fat is good or bad for you, but it’s nutritious enough, and some fresh coconut meat on your vacation isn’t going to make much of a difference either way, so give it a try. In the meantime, the meat, especially when made into “coconut cream,” is a fantastic ingredient in everything from rice to curry and flan.

Mixed drinks: The coconut features prominently in vacation drinks of the sociable nature, particularly in conjunction with that Caribbean standby, rum (which comes from sugar cane, not coconuts). The pina colada is the classic, but if you need a tropical pick-me-up, look into the coquito (similar to egg nog, from Puerto Rico), Acapulco Dream (with tequila of course) and the variable but irresistibly named Coco Loco. Coconut, especially coconut cream, makes a drink very warm and tropical tasting.

Survival: Coconut palms really can help you out in a tropical pinch. In addition to providing nutritional food and drink, dead palm fronds and coconut husks can be used for fires, and many people swear by the medicinal properties of coconut oil and water. If you’re looking for land, coconut palms are a lot easier to see than low-lying mangroves or coral atolls, and opening up a coconut can be a fascinating exercise in skill, persistence and strength.

Oil up: Much of that white coconut meat is fat, and much of it is processed by drying to get the oil out. That tasty and very useful oil makes its way into things like curries, skin lotion, and even some diesel generators. Let’s see – a coconut oil spa treatment, a delicious green seafood curry, and then a romantic interlude by the light of a coconut oil lamp. With some coconut massage oil. Now that’s escaping winter!<

Bryan Nichols is a science writer, biologist, educator and beer aficionado currently living near palm trees in Tampa, Florida.