Coconuts in the Abacos
By Alice Bain

Cocos nucifera is a common sight in Abaco - this exotic term is simply the Latin name for the common coconut palm. The origins of this ubiquitous tropical tree are shrouded in mystery. Although we can safely say that coconut palms are not native to Abaco, it seems that horticulturists cannot agree exactly what region they are native to. Reports from as early as 545 A.D. mention coconuts growing in India, and in 1280 Marco Polo describes it growing in Sumatra. Locations in the Melanesian Islands of the Pacific show charred remains of coconuts going back to 3000 B.C. A naturalist by the name of Purseglove theorized that the tree originated in Northwestern South America, since palms of similar species are native to that area.

In any case, the coconut is undoubtedly one of the most useful trees in the world and has been spread throughout the tropical zone both by man and by sea currents. In fact, coconuts have washed ashore as far north as Norway and still sprouted although the trees will not grow above 28 degrees north latitude or below 28 degrees south latitude.

All varieties of coconut in the world belong to the same species, although this is divided into a staggering array of different varieties. Dwarf varieties may grow to be only six feet tall while more traditional varieties such as the Jamaican Tall can attain heights of 80 feet or more. There are varieties with green nuts, brown nuts and gold nuts and one type from the Maldives that has a double nut. The traditional tall varieties are unfortunately susceptible to a disease called Lethal Yellowing which has killed off palm groves in areas of Central America, in Florida and in Nassau.

The nut itself goes through several stages of development with harvesting concentrated on the later stages of jelly coconut and mature nut. A jelly coconut has an immature gelatinous meat inside it, and about two cups of coconut water which is tasty and often drunk straight from the nut or mixed with gin and condensed milk to make a swigel. Coconut water is sterile, and there are reports of it having been used intravenously in emergencies during World War II as a replacement for glucose solution. Dried nuts produce coconut oil (good for making soap, among other things) and the pressed meat of the adult nut yields coconut milk which is used in many dishes. Mature nut meat is grated and boiled down with sugar to make coconut candy.

Other parts of the tree are also useful. The leaves can be woven into hats, mats and bags and the bud or growing point at the top of the tree is edible as a kind of vegetable. Harvesting this bud unfortunately kills the tree. In the East a flower-stalk on a palm will be bound tightly and bruised so that it weeps a juice that can be fermented into wine and further distilled into a liquor.

The coconut is a hardy tree that will tolerate a variety of different stresses from variations in pH, poor soil, extreme slope, salinity of water, tropical heat, insects, diseases and, of course, hurricanes. After Hurricane Floyd some of our palm trees died, presumably due to having their growing point buds bruised or destroyed, but other trees, left with only one frond, recovered to return to their full tropical glory in a year or so. The coconut harvest was depressed for a year and a half after the storm. It takes a coconut bloom about ten months to mature, and the trees did not start putting out flowers until they had regrown most of their fronds. Abaconians often prepare for a hurricane by chopping any bunches of unripe nuts from the trees lest they become lethal missiles propelled by high winds during the storm.

Coconuts can be planted, but seem to grow just fine by sprouting on their own initiative. Planting a coconut is usually as simple as laying the nut on the ground and keeping the bottom of it damp, though professional groves often use more sophisticated techniques.

A knowledgeable native with a sharp machete can open a coconut in a few seconds, impressing any tourist who has just spent an hour or so being thwarted by the tough husk that surrounds the nut. The coconut is an inextricable part of Abaconian cuisine and lifestyle.

As the song says, "Gin and coconut water/Cannot get it in America!"