Softening and conditioning
Coconut palm trees may yield up to 200 coconuts in a year, but more commonly yield around sixty. The Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is thought to be native to Polynesia, Malaysia, and southern Asia.
Description
The trees are perennial, and they produce fruit all year round. Nearly every month, a new flower spike will emerge from the crown of the tree, developing into a cluster of six to twelve nuts. The coconut is botanically classed as drupe rather than a nut; each one takes a year to mature and is the largest seed in the world. When coconuts are young, their flesh is soft, like that of a melon, and local people prefer them this way. They eat them as a rich food, even feeding their babies with the soft flesh. Many things can be made from the coconut palm and practically all of the plant is used in some way. In Sanskrit, the name given is 'kalpa vriksha' which means, 'tree that gives all that is necessary for living.' Young, unripe coconuts contain nutritious water, the liquid endosperm of the nut. The liquid supports the growth of the seed inside. As the nut matures, the water also supports the development of the characteristic white flesh inside the husk.
