Coconut Palm Cultivars in Florida From the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida
Several cultivars of coconut palms are grown in Florida. These cultivars differ in their petiole and fruit color, straightness (or crookedness) of the trunk, leaflet and leaf width, growth rates, presence or absence of a swollen trunk base or bole, adaptability to Florida's soil conditions, and resistance to lethal yellowing disease (LY). The 'Jamaican Tall' (also called 'Atlantic Tall') is a rapid-growing coconut palm variety with a swollen trunk base and crooked trunk. This variety is well adapted to Florida. The 'Malayan Dwarf' cultivar has three color forms that differ in the color of the immature fruits and petioles (green, yellow, or gold). This cultivar is smaller and slower-growing than the 'Jamaican Tall'. Additionally, the Malayan Dwarf has a narrow, straight, non-swollen trunk. The 'Panama Tall' (also called 'Pacific Tall') is a large, robust palm with a large-diameter trunk that is crooked and swollen. The 'Panama Tall' has a rapid growth rate and either green or bronze-colored fruits and petioles. The 'Maypan' is a hybrid between the 'Malayan Dwarf' and the 'Panama Tall' and resembles the 'Jamaican Tall' in appearance. The 'Malayan Dwarf' cultivar and the hybrid 'Maypan' have been widely planted in Florida because of their reported resistance to LY, a fatal disease of coconut palms in Florida and in parts of the Caribbean region. (For more on this disease, see EDIS Publication PP222, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP146.) Although these varieties were originally believed to be highly resistant to LY, long-term trials in Florida have revealed that 'Malayan Dwarf' and 'Maypan' are only slightly less susceptible to LY than the 'Jamaican Tall' these varieties were intended to replace. One cultivar that has shown some potential for resistance to LY is the 'Fiji Dwarf' (Niu Leka), although more extensive testing is needed to substantiate the promising results of studies done in Florida during the 1980s and 1990s. The 'Fiji Dwarf' is slow growing and has very broad leaves and leaflets. This variety can have either bronze or green fruits and petioles and has a very thick, crooked trunk. The 'Fiji Dwarf' is well adapted to Florida soils. Unfortunately, unless 'Fiji Dwarf' trees are isolated (>100 ft or so) from other coconut palm cultivars, to prevent pollination with non-'Fiji Dwarf' trees the resulting seeds produce a good percentage of tall, off-type palms that are known to be susceptible to LY. Back to Coconut Page |
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Bibliography Broschat, T. K., and Jonathan H. Crane. "The Coconut Palm In Florida." Horticultural Sciences Dept., UF/IFAS Extension, HS40,Original Pub. date Apr. 1984, Rev. June 2011, June 2014, Dec. 2017 and Dec. 2020, AskIFAS, edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg043. Accessed 4 Nov. 2015, 12 Mar. 2019, 8 Mar. 2024. Published 28 Apr. 2014 LR. Last update 10 Mar. 2024 LR |
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