Abnormal coconut palms with a single stem

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Site in construction, we apologize for the incovenience, It will be ready in early September 2019!
Please visit our amazing coconut freaks galleries:

Dancing coconut eyes ! Normal coconut have three eyes, or two eyes and one mouth according to people perception and cultures. No more, no less ! Except, of course, if they are coconut freaks...
Three eyed normal coconuts			Three eyed but strange coconuts
One eyed coconut			Two eyed coconut
Three and half eyed coconut			Four eyed coconut
Four and half eyed coconut			Five eyed coconut
Two coconuts fused by the husk			Two kernels in one coconut shell
Three kernel in one coconut shell			What next?

Branched coconut palms ! The coconut palm generally consists of a unique trunk (or stem) topped with a broad crown of fronds. The coconut fronds and flowers generally grow from a single bud. The bud functions continually. The coconut palm therefore never stops growing, until it dies. Although the bud is highly protected, the fact that it is unique means the palm is somewhat fragile. If an insect succeeds in penetrating and eating the bud, the palm is doomed. Except, of course, for the palms that are coconut freaks...
Normal coconut palms with a single stem			Coconut palms with two branches
Coconut palms with three branches			Coconut palms with four branches
Coconut palms with four branches			Coconut palms with five branches
Coconut palms with six branches			Coconut palms with seven branches
Coconut palms with eigth branches			Coconut palms with Nine branches
Coconut palms with ten branches or more			The most branched !

Horned coconut!
Horned coconuts from the Pacific region			Horned coconut from India
Horned coconut from Sri Lanka			Horned coconut from other places

All other kinds of coconut Freaks !
A palm bearing about 5000 coconuts in Tamil Nadu, India			Pora Pol coconut whith hard and thick shells
The Cook Island "Seven in one"			Coconut with flat and large spikelets
Banana-shaped and sexy coconut			Undersea coconut
Holey coconut palms

Horned coconuts

Branched coconut palms
When you own such a rare palm and when or before it fell down, it is possible to take separately each of the branch, cut two third of the existing leaves and replant in the soil with good watering and shading. New roots will appear on the stem. Please avoid to loose a so precious coconut freak!

Branched coconut - Two branches.
Branched coconut - Three branches
Branched coconut - Four branches

Branched coconut - 8 branches (In India, and may be in Thailand...)
Branched coconut - 14 branches coconut palm from Maalhos island, Baa, in Maldives.

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Horned coconut - With two horns

En fait, les diverses photographies de noix de cocotiers dits "à corne" que nous avons pu trouver montrent des morphologies très diverses. Il n'existe donc pas un seul type de cocotier à corne, mais plusieurs types qui se distinguent par des cornes plus ou moins longues, plus ou moins épaisses et plus ou moins courbées.

India

An anecdote from the Seventh Kailasam temple – Thenthiruperai, in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu. During the British Era, once Captain Durai, who ruled over this district, rested here during his journey. As he was thirsty, he asked for tender coconut that was hanging on a tree nearby. The townsfolk replied that the coconuts on that grove weren’t intended for humans but for the omnipresent God and warned him from plucking them.




So the captain arrogantly replied, “Does the coconut in the temple grove sprout horns?” and ordered his assistant to fetch those coconuts from the tree. The assistant on his command fetched the coconuts from the tree. Miraculously the tender coconut had three horns. The English Commander, realised his folly, fell to his knees and sought the Lord’s forgiveness.

Also he ordered the Government to pay 26 Salli Paisas daily to perform rituals and poojas at the temple. Even now our government is paying this amount for the temple. Visitors to the temple can view the three horned coconut, that hangs in front of the Amman Sanctum.

Sri Lanka

Il semble que la première description scientifique de cocotiers dit "à corne" date de 1924 et a été réalisée au Sri Lanka (Petch, 1924). Nous n'avons pas pu obtenir cet article pour l'instant.

French Polynesia

Cocotier à corne de l'atoll de Tetiaroa

References

Petch, T. (1924) A horned coconut. Yearbook DoA, Ceylon pp 20-21.
Areca and Cocos in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indian J. For., 1979, 2, 350–363

Davis, T. S. (1965). Addition to the theories on the morphology of horns in coconut fruits.

Jerard, B. A., Niral, V., Dhanapal, R., Damodaran, V., Arunachalam, V., Rajesh, M. K., ... & Thomas, G. V. (2014). IND 221–Andaman Horned Cocos (IC0598221; INGR13063), a Coconut (Cocos nucifera) Germplasm with Distinct Character of Horny Nuts. Indian Journal of Plant Genetic Resources, 27(1), 76-77.

The 14 branches coconut palm from Maalhos island, Baa, in Maldives, an extinct world record...

Picture published by Afrah Mohamed

This palm was producing green fruits. It was still alive in 2010. Unfortunately, it was dead four years ago when another photographer visited the site in 2014. 

The same palm photographed in 2014.

This coconut palm held the world record for the number of trunks on the same tree, but it no longer exists. No one bothered to saw off the trunk, dry it and keep it, even though this trunk would have had its place in a museum! it is also possible, if the tree begins to die, to cut out certain branches and try to replant them by halving the leaves to reduce evapotranspiration. Sometimes roots appear at the base and the branch can survive...

According to Eydhafushi times (June, 22, 2015) traders from three islands of Baa atoll said that every day more than 1,000 young coconuts (locally known as ‘kurumba’) is sold to some islands of the atoll and to the federal capital Male’. Kendhoo, Kamadhoo and Maalhos, which grows coconut palms, exported 300 to 500 young coconuts during the past three days to the atoll and Male’. Traders said that the price of a young coconut in Baa atoll’s capital island Eydhafushi currently stand at more than MVR 15 (USD 1).

A trader from Maalhos predicted that around 500 young coconuts can be produced daily from the island during the first 10 days of Ramadan which is underway. However, supplies are expected to drop after that, he said. Farmers from Kamadhoo and Kendhoo said that though the price can be sustained, the supply will decrease during the latter days of the Islamic fasting month.

Pora Pol coconut with hard and thick shells

By Dr Roland Bourdeix and Lalith Perera

Pora Pol coconut variety from Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, an expert at Pora Pol, a traditional game, Weddikkarage Abeysinghe is determined to take part in the ritual come Avurudu as long as he can. Clad completely in white – his sarong, banian and turban, all in pure white, Weddikkarage Abeysinghe is ready to perform a sacred act. In his hands he holds a rather unusual type of a coconut – smaller in size than the usual nut we know.

The firm grip he has on the coconut is symbolic of how this middle-aged gentleman from the outskirts of Pannipitiya, is holding fast to a traditional game – the Pora Pol (nut cracking) which once occupied a predominant place among Avurudu games as something with a religious element to it.

Abeysinghe anticipates the arrival of Sinhala and Tamil Aluth Avurudu with great pleasure as it gives him a chance to take part in this traditional Pora Pol game- a practice he has followed for the past 50 years since he was a lively lad of eight. Come April, this retiree puts aside all his other activities to practise Pora Pol to take part in Avurudu celebrations held close to his home.

A ritualistic activity to derive blessings from Goddess Pattini during the spread of illnesses in the village, the practice of playing Pora Pol, is believed to have originated from Matara some 300 or 400 years back, Abeysinghe believes.

 

The Pora Pol variety is disappearing. The first author of this site, Dr Roland Bourdeix, together with a well known coconut scientist, Dr Lalith Perera, proposed to create a conservatory of the Pora pol variety by replanting one of the small islands of Sri Lanka according to the Polymotu concept. This project, initiated by the Diversiflora International association, has unfortunately not yet materialized.

“It was a prominent part in Gammadu ceremonies where two or three months prior to holding Pattini pooja at Gammadu ceremonies, villagers engage in breaking Pora Pol. Like that they go on to crack thousands of nuts for weeks. As a kid I too have done it while in Matara and this was the starting point,” he says. Abeysinghe tells how people who engage in this ritualistic activity of cracking Pora Pol seeking divine blessings, become pure vegetarians months in advance. Playing Pora Pol takes place in the vicinity of a Devalaya and prior to commencing the game at an auspicious time, the Kapu mahattaya of the Devalaya engages in yathikawa (invocation)asking for divine blessings for the village as well for the safety of the players during the game. The reason why players are clad in full white is because it is an act of divinity, he says, adding that at the conclusion of the ceremony, the smashed coconuts are not consumed but used to produce oil for lighting the lamps.

The Pora Pol breaking activity is still takes place in areas like Matara, Galle on a grand scale, and this ritual became a part of Avurudu celebrations as a folk game, he adds.

A game that demonstrates the courage, physical prowess and the tactical thinking of the male, it requires two teams, an equal number of players on both sides (even a single pair can take part in the game) with an equal number of nuts on either side. The two teams are referred to as ‘Udu Pila’ and ‘Yati Pila’. At the start of the game, the number of coconuts is counted and as the game progresses, members from each team come forward one by one to face an opponent. Taking turns, they throw the nuts with full force in the direction of the opponent while the latter targets the oncoming nut to smash it with the one he holds in his hand, Abeysinghe explains. At the end of the game, when the stack of coconuts of each team is counted, the side that has the highest number of nuts unbroken, wins the game.

A veteran in the art of Pora Pol breaking, Abeysinghe is familiar with every aspect of the game, including the different nuts and where to find the ones best suited for the game.

“You get the best Pora Pol from Matara while in areas like Galle, Kurunegala, and Polgasowita too you find these coconuts. Ones that are from Matara are very hardy and ideal for the game,” he explains as he shows us a few more types –Samanalaya, Tikka and Kokmaduwa -the latter is named after a location while the other two are named after the manner in which they twist and turn when thrown.

“This is a risky game. The players use their full force when they throw the coconut at the rival team, not with the intention to hitting them but to avoid the opponent cracking it. There were instances that I suffered hand injuries,” he explains. A few months prior to Avurudu, Abeysinghe makes a trip to Matara with his brother to collect a few of these special coconuts for the Pora Pol game.

“These coconuts are worth a lot because they are rare. People do not sell them, because they consider them sacred. Instead, they offer them to the devala and temples to be used for these ritualistic festivals. I also know a few owners who have this type of coconut trees planted in their estates. That is how I collect a few from here and there,” Abeysinghe reveals.

The game however, is fast disappearing, mainly due to the lack of skilled players and youngsters disinterested in learning the game or the difficulty in finding that special variety of nuts used for this purpose, explains Abeysinghe rather despondently. This, however, is the very reason he never misses taking part in a Pora Pol game every Avurudu.

An emotional Abeysinghe speaks of a few skilled people who mastered the art of Pora Pol playing. Among them is ‘Ebaran’ from Kahathuduwa – a genius at the game. “I was very small when I used to watch him play. Ebaran maama was at his peak at the age of about 50. Later on, in my 20’s I even played a game or two with him,” he recalls.

The tradition of Pora Pol breaking should be sustained he feels, stressing that he will continue to take part in this folk game for Avurudu as long as he can. He has two daughters and so Abeysinghe is now thinking of training his nephew to make sure the tradition continues.

Information from the Sunday Times, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 12, 2015
by Dhananjani Silva