222 0. F. Cool' — History of the Cocomit Palm in America. 



itself as a wild plant on any tropical seacoast. The application 

 of these facts to cultural problems shows that the possibilities 

 of an extratropical extension of the coconut palm are not to be 

 realized on seacoasts, but in interior desert regions where 

 larger amounts of heat and sunlight are to be obtained. 



Though the biological evidence of the American origin of 

 the coconut palm appears complete and adequate, recent years 

 have brought to light several additional facts which may be of 

 use to those whose training and habits of thought lead them to 

 attach great weight to the historical arguments of De Candolle 

 and other writers who believed in the Old World origin of 

 this palm and its dissemination by the sea. The reader is 

 impressed by De Candolle's references to many old and rare 

 books, and will naturally remain loth to believe that so eminent 

 an authority could have come to an erroneous conclusion, 

 unless all the foundations of his opinions are carefully reex- 

 amined. 



It is important to trace and clear away any mistakes or false 

 deductions which obscure the early history of cultivated plants. 

 Misconceptions regarding the origin and dissemination of any 

 important economic species tend to distort human history as 

 well as to mislead botanical and agricultural investigation. It 

 is only when we view the past with the right perspective that 

 we gain correct ideas of the factors which control our present 

 interests and our future progress. Civilization itself is based 

 on cultivated plants, and history may be written with as much 

 propriety from the agricultural standpoint as from the mili- 

 tary, political, or commercial. 



Summary of Results. 



The history of the coconut palm has relation to several 

 different kinds of scientific questions, so that the facts require 

 to be summarized from several different standpoints. 



Botanical Conclusions. 



All the palms that are related to the coconut, comprising 

 about 20 genera and 200 species, are natives of America, with 

 the possible exception of a single species, the West African oil 

 palm. All the species of the genus Cocos and of the closely 

 allied genera are natives of South America. The species of 

 Cocos that are most related to the coconut are natives of the 

 interior valleys and plateaus of the Andes, where the coconut 

 also thrives, remote from the sea. 



Comparison of the structure of the fruit and the method of 

 germination of the coconut with those of the related palms 

 indicates a high degree of specialization, but not for purposes 

 of maritime distribution. The unusually large, heavy seed and 



