THE COCOA.NUT. 



393 



Cocoa-nut — Cocos. 

 Tlie cocoa-palm is supposed to be a native of the 

 south-east of Asia, and is found wild in some of the 

 small islands off the shores ; but it has been intro- 

 duced into almost every part of the tropical regions. 

 Its quality of bearing- the neighbourhood of sea water 

 is very favourable to its migrations. There are live 

 species enumerated and described by the botanists ; 

 but the most valuable is the cocos nucifera, or cocoa- 

 tree, properly so called. 



Cucua nut — {Cocos nucifera.') 



The nvcifera is a very tall tree, the trunk of which 

 is composed of hard and strong fibres, which cross 

 each other like net-work. There are, strictly speaking, 

 no branches ; but the leaves are from twelve to four- 

 teen feet long, with a very strong middle rib, to each 

 side of which the sword-shaped leafets are attached. 

 The flowers come out round the top of the trunk, each 

 cluster inclosed in a long spatha or sheath. When 

 these have arrived at maturity, the sheath opens, and 

 the male flowers gradually fall otf, leaving the embrjo 

 fruit. In a moist and fertile soil the cocoa-palm bears 

 in four years ; in a dry region fruit is not produced 



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