King coconut

Thembili kiosk by a main road in Sri Lanka

King coconut (Cocos nucifera) is a variety of coconut, native to Sri Lanka[1] where it is known as Thembili (Sinhala: තැඹිලි). Sweeter than regular coconuts, there are several sub varieties of the king coconut-the most common being the "red dwarf" (kaha thambili, commonly referred to as gon thambili). The other variety is "ran thambili",[2] a smaller variety containing about forty nuts in a bunch. The king coconut tree is shorter than coconut trees, and are found commonly growing wild in many areas of the country.[3]

King coconut water has been used in Ayurveda. One of the most common uses is a mixture of Aralu powder (Myrobalans) added to the water of one king coconut.[4]

This Aralu brew according to Sri Lankan ayurvedic practitioners (also known as veda mahattayas) has the necessary properties to "expel heat from the body" therefore resulting in a feeling of freshness.

Sri Lanka now exports packaged king coconut water.

There are many cultivated coconut varieties found in Sri Lanka. Most of them are underway through national coconut research institute. According to a research carried away, they identified these varieties during a recent coconut germplasm exploration mission in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka.

Coconut in Sri Lanka is currently classified into 15 different coconut forms grouped under three varieties, namely 'Typica', 'Nana' and 'Aurantiaca'. The visual morphological features of several new coconut morphotypes were characterized with the objective of including them in the taxonomic classification of coconut in Sri Lanka.[5]

Varieties and forms of coconut found in Sri Lanka

Common name Variety/form Features
Sri Lanka Tall (Typical/Typica) Tall stature, allogamous, heterogeneous, flowers in 6 —7

years, medium sized nuts, 20-25 nuts per bunch, 60-80 nuts per palm per year

Gon Thembili (Typica/Gon thembili) Similar to Sri Lanka Tall. Ivory colored nuts, petioles and

inflorescences

Nawasi (Typica/Nawasi) Similar to Sri Lanka Tall. Soft mesocarp - edible in the

immature nut yields soft fiber when mature

Pora pol (Typica/Pora pot) Similar to Sri Lanka Tall. Remarkably thick shelled nuts
Ran Thembii (Typica/Ran thembili) Similar to Sri Lanka Tall. Pink coloured mesocarp in

immature fruit and a pink whorl under the perianth. Large nuts

Kamandala (Typica/Kamandala) Similar to Sri Lanka Tall. Large sized nuts (largest among

local forms), and few nuts per bunch (2-5 nuts per bunch)

Bodiri (Typica/Bodiri) Similar to Sri Lanka Tall. Small sized nuts and large

number per bunch (30-100 nuts per bunch). Seasonal nut production

Dikiri (Typica/Dikiri) Similar to Sri Lanka Tall. Some nuts contain a jelly-like

endosperm

King Coconut (Aurantiaca/King coconut) Intermediate stature, autogamous, homogeneous, fruits in 6-7 years, seasonal flower production, medium sized nuts with orange epicarp and sweet nut water, 25-50 nuts per bunch
Nawasi Thembili (Aurantiaca/Nawasi thembili) Similar to King Coconut. Soft and edible mesocarp like

Nawasi

Rathran Thembili (Aurantiaca/'Rathran thembili) Similar to King Coconut. Pink coloured mesocarp and a

pink whorl under the perianth

Green Dwarf (Nana/Green dwarf or pumila) Dwarf stature, autogamous, homogeneous, fruits in 3-4

years, small sized nuts with green epicarp. low copra content, 80-150 nuts per palm per year

Yellow Dwarf (Nana/Yellow dwarf or eburnea) Similar to Green dwarf. Nuts with yellow epicarp
Red Dwarf (Nana/Red dwarf or regia) Similar to Green dwarf. Nuts with red epicarp
Brown Dwarf (Nana/Brown dwarf or braune) Similar to Green dwarf. Nuts with a brown epicarp

See also

References

  1. "WHAT IS KING COCONUT?".
  2. "Thambili - Punchi Lindey Vathura Rasai".
  3. "Coconut varieties". florida gardener. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  4. "King Coconut" (PDF).
  5. Ekanayake, G.K. , Perera, S. A. C. N. , Dassanayake, P. N. , Everard, J. M. D. T. (2010). "Varietal Classification of New Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) Forms Identified" (PDF). Coconut Research Institute of Sri Lanka. p. 10. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/27/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.