The Coconut Palm
Perhaps the most iconic of coastal tropical plants is the Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera; plate 12- 70). Some of these
trees attain heights of nearly 30 m (98 ft), though most are smaller. Coconut seeds float and easily colonize tropical
areas around the world, and most authorities believe Coconut Palms are not native to the New World but colonized
the region from the tropical Pacific. As is well known, the “meat” from the nuts is very tasty.Plate 12- 70. Coconut Palms add considerable ambience to tropical sunsets throughout the coastal Torrid Zone. Photo by John
Kricher.chapter 12 cruising the rivers to the sea 233