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This book inventories thirty-four of the most commonly grown coconut varieties worldwide, and is lavishly illustrated with photographs. It also relates the botany and history of this legendary crop, along with the ethnology of the people who grow it.
Coconut, a symbol of the southern seas, is above all a plant that is grown and consumed by millions of farmers and gardeners. It covers more than 11 million hectares worldwide. This book describes thirty-four of the most commonly grown varieties. Although all of them are now held in either collections or trials in Ivory Coast, they originated from 18 countries throughout the tropics. Each description comprises a plate of superb photographs and a page of text setting out the variety's uses and agronomic characteristics. Fourteen dwarf, 13 tall and 9 hybrid varieties are covered.
However, the book is more than just a catalogue of varieties. It also looks at the botany and history of the coconut palm and the ethnology of the people who grow it. It provides an overview of and an update on studies of the crop. It also tells the most intriguing stories that have accumulated about coconut over the centuries.
