NUAGES ET COCOTIERS PLAGE DE LA MOARA THIO COTE EST
Photographie prise à la plage de la Moara près de Thio - Nouvelle-Calédonie.
Cet arbre est commun dans la ceinture inter-tropicale, mais il est particulièrement bien représenté dans le Pacifique. Cocos nucifera est le seul palmier à porter des noix de coco. Au sein de l'espèce Cocos nucifera, il existe des dizaines de variétés de cocotiers du fait des hybridations réalisées par l'homme. L'arbre commence à donner des noix après 8 ou 10 ans de vie. La longévité du cocotier peut atteindre 100 ans, mais sa vie économique est de 50 ans (période de production des fruits).
Le cocotier est un palmier de grande taille : 20 à 30 m de haut. Les feuilles sont réunies en grand bouquet au sommet de l'arbre. Les plus jeunes, situées au centre du bouquet, sont dressées, tandis que les plus vieilles sont repoussées vers l'extérieur et pendent vers le bas. Ce sont de grandes et longues palmes de 4 à 7 m de long. Ce feuillage est persistant. Le fruit est une noix de coco, de 15 à 30 cm de diamètre (de la taille d'une tête humaine) et d'environ 1,5 kg. L'enveloppe externe du fruit (épicarpe) est fine, lisse, verte pour le fruit immature, puis marron pour le fruit mûr. Elle est doublée d'une enveloppe sous-jacente (mésocarpe) fibreuse et marron, la bourre de coco, épaisse de 3 à 4 cm, qui elle-même entoure la noix à proprement parler, ou graine. Il n'y a qu'une noix par fruit. Cette noix est faite d'une coque très dure lignifiée marron, qui entoure l'amande. L'amande est faite d'une pulpe blanche et charnue (albumen) et contient le germe. Le centre de l'amande est rempli d'un liquide appelé eau de coco. Les noix de coco mûres sont lourdes, se décrochent sous l'effet de leur poids et tombent au sol. La fructification se fait toute l'année, et chaque arbre porte plusieurs grappes de noix de coco, avec plus d'une cinquantaine de fruits à différents stades de maturation pour chaque arbre. Les racines sont fasciculées, s'enfoncent généralement de 1 ou 2 m et s'étalent horizontalement en cherchant les sources d'humidité.
Le cocotier affectionne naturellement les sols sableux, humifères et drainés des rivages marins, exposés ou non. Les noix de coco jonchent les plages, et peuvent être emportées par les flots marins. Elles peuvent supporter des voyages maritimes d'au moins trois mois. Cet arbre ne craint ni les embruns ni le sel, mais il ne s'enracine pas directement dans l'eau salée.
Il a besoin de pluies régulières toute l'année et aime les forts ensoleillements. Il s'accommode très bien des zones exposées aux tempêtes tropicales et résiste particulièrement bien au passage des cyclones : les feuilles découpées en nombreuses folioles ainsi que le faux-tronc mince et souple offrent peu de prise au vent. Le cocotier est aussi planté dans les terres par l'homme, et ce jusqu'à 1000 m d'altitude.
Prédateur
Pseudophyllanax imperialis (Montrouzier, 1864) - La sauterelle de cocotier peut atteindre une vingtaine de cm de long (second plus gros insecte de la planète) et se nourrit des feuilles de cocotier. Cet insecte est endémique à la Nouvelle-Calédonie. Les femelles sont vert clair et très mimétiques, tandis que les mâles sont marron.
Birgus latro - (Linnaeus, 1767) - Ce crabe présent en Nouvelle-Calédonie peut dépasser les 5 kg.
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The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae (palm family). It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos.
Cocos nucifera is a large palm, growing up to 30 meters (98 ft) tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 meters (13–20 ft) long, and pinnae 60–90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly, leaving the trunk smooth. Coconuts are generally classified into two general types: tall and dwarf. On very fertile land a tall coconut palm tree can yield up to 75 fruits per year, but more often yields less than 30 mainly due to poor cultural practices. In recent years, improvements in cultivation practices and breeding has produced coconut trees that can yield more.
Botanically the coconut fruit is a drupe, not a true nut. Like other fruits it has three layers: exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp. The exocarp and mesocarp make up the husk of the coconut. Coconuts sold in the shops of non-tropical countries often have had the exocarp (outermost layer) removed. The mesocarp is composed of fibers called coir which have many traditional and commercial uses. The shell has three germination pores (stoma) or eyes that are clearly visible on its outside surface once the husk is removed. A full-sized coconut weighs about 1.44 kilograms (3.2 lb). It takes around 6000 full-grown coconuts to produce a tonne of copra.
Unlike some other plants, the palm tree has neither tap root nor root hairs; but has a fibrous root system.
The origin of the plant is the subject of debate. Many authorities suggest an Indo-Pacific origin either around Melanesia and Malesia or the Indian Ocean, while others see the origin in northwestern South America. The oldest fossils known of the modern coconut date from the Eocene period from around 37 to 55 million years ago and were found in Australia and India. However, there are older palm fossils like some of nipa fruit that have been found in the Americas.
The coconut has spread across much of the tropics, probably aided in many cases by seafaring people.
The coconut palm thrives on sandy soils and is highly tolerant of salinity. It prefers areas with abundant sunlight and regular rainfall (150 cm to 250 cm annually), which makes colonizing shorelines of the tropics relatively straightforward. Coconuts also need high humidity (70–80%+) for optimum growth, which is why they are rarely seen in areas with low humidity, like the south eastern Mediterranean or Andalusia, even where temperatures are high enough (regularly above 24°C or 75.2°F).
Cocos nucifera is a large palm, growing up to 30 meters (98 ft) tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 meters (13–20 ft) long, and pinnae 60–90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly, leaving the trunk smooth. Coconuts are generally classified into two general types: tall and dwarf. On very fertile land a tall coconut palm tree can yield up to 75 fruits per year, but more often yields less than 30 mainly due to poor cultural practices. In recent years, improvements in cultivation practices and breeding has produced coconut trees that can yield more.
Botanically the coconut fruit is a drupe, not a true nut. Like other fruits it has three layers: exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp. The exocarp and mesocarp make up the husk of the coconut. Coconuts sold in the shops of non-tropical countries often have had the exocarp (outermost layer) removed. The mesocarp is composed of fibers called coir which have many traditional and commercial uses. The shell has three germination pores (stoma) or eyes that are clearly visible on its outside surface once the husk is removed. A full-sized coconut weighs about 1.44 kilograms (3.2 lb). It takes around 6000 full-grown coconuts to produce a tonne of copra.
Unlike some other plants, the palm tree has neither tap root nor root hairs; but has a fibrous root system.
The origin of the plant is the subject of debate. Many authorities suggest an Indo-Pacific origin either around Melanesia and Malesia or the Indian Ocean, while others see the origin in northwestern South America. The oldest fossils known of the modern coconut date from the Eocene period from around 37 to 55 million years ago and were found in Australia and India. However, there are older palm fossils like some of nipa fruit that have been found in the Americas.
The coconut has spread across much of the tropics, probably aided in many cases by seafaring people.
The coconut palm thrives on sandy soils and is highly tolerant of salinity. It prefers areas with abundant sunlight and regular rainfall (150 cm to 250 cm annually), which makes colonizing shorelines of the tropics relatively straightforward. Coconuts also need high humidity (70–80%+) for optimum growth, which is why they are rarely seen in areas with low humidity, like the south eastern Mediterranean or Andalusia, even where temperatures are high enough (regularly above 24°C or 75.2°F).