SOME FRUITS OP HAWAII 



19 



COCONUT 



( Cocos nucifcra ) 



Description: The coconut is the large, one-seeded fruit of the coco- 

 palm {Cocos nucifera, Linnaeus) in which the endosperm within the 

 nut is the edible portion. The fibrous husk encloses the brown, hard- 

 shelled nut, 4 or 5 inches in diameter. G. P. Wilder states (72) : "After 

 being fertilized by the adjacent staminate flowers, the hollow interior 

 of the shell becomes filled with sweet water. The spherical fruits grad- 

 ually increase to from 4 to 8 inches in diameter. The endosperm, at 

 first an opaque, jellylike substance, forms in the inner walls of the 

 shell, and gradually absorbs the water ; it attains a firm thickness of 

 from 0.25 to 0.5 inches. This is known as the 'coconut meat' and forms 

 an important article of diet for the Polynesian people." In the early 

 stages the meat is soft and jellylike and is known as "spoon coconut," 

 because it must be eaten with a spoon. Later the meat becomes crisp 

 and firm. 



History: There are several varieties of coconuts growing in Ha- 

 waii at the present time, most of which have been introduced within the 

 last century. Those growing in the Islands at the time of the arrival of 

 the first missionaries were small and of inferior quality and are often 

 called Hawaiian coconuts to distinguish them from later introductions. 

 This original strain or variety was probably brought to Hawaii by the 

 early Polynesians when they migrated from the islands to the south. 

 The many varieties of coconuts have not been classified botanically. The 

 Hawaiians and South Sea Islanders distinguish the varieties by differ- 

 ences in the color and texture of the husk, the thickness and flavor of 

 the meat, and the amount of oil present. Although the Hawaiian Islands 

 are near the northern limit for the growing of coconuts, many excellent 

 varieties thrive, but they do not bear as abundantly here as farther south 

 (20, p. 452). 



Nutritive value: The chemical composition of the edible portion 

 of the coconut varies with the stage of development. Isles (23) has 

 studied the composition of the meat and the water from within the 

 cavity of coconuts from the very young stage to complete maturity. In 

 the present bulletin the watery liquid from within the coconut is called 

 "water" and the expressed juice obtained from squeezing the grated 

 coconut meat is called "milk." 



According to Isles' data, the water at the very earliest stages, when 

 the white meat has not yet formed within the shell, contains 1.2 to 

 2.8 percent of invert sugar but no sucrose. But when the meat begins 

 to form, sucrose appears in the water, and as the nut matures there is 

 no marked change in the percentage of invert sugar and sucrose present. 

 The highest figure given by Isles for sucrose of the water is 0.96 per- 

 cent and the lowest figure 0.13 percent. The protein and fat content is 

 negligible. No figures for ash content of the water are given. 



The water from immature coconuts was previously shown (34, p. 14) 

 to contain as much calcium as some fruits and vegetables, if not more. 



