35 Types of Coconuts: Identification, With Pictures & Facts

Coconuts on a tree in florida — Picture: *Coconuts*

The many types of coconuts all belong to a single species, the coconut palm. The fruit is not a true nut but a drupe, with a skin, a fibrous husk and a hard shell around the seed. World production reached about 65.5 million tonnes in 2024, and Indonesia, India and the Philippines grew 73% of it.

Coconuts are divided into two main groups. Tall palms can reach 80 to 100 feet, begin to bear in 6 to 10 years and live for 60 to 100 years. Dwarf palms fruit sooner and stay shorter, but they have a shorter life.

The two groups also breed differently. Talls are cross-pollinated and vary a great deal, while most dwarfs pollinate themselves and come true from seed. Crossing a tall with a dwarf gives hybrids that bear early and yield heavily.

Coconuts are used in two main ways. Mature nuts are dried into copra for oil, and young nuts are picked for drinking water. The 35 coconuts below are grouped as talls, dwarfs and hybrids, and each entry notes where the palm is grown.

1. Jamaica Tall

The Jamaica Tall is the classic coconut of the Caribbean. It is also called the Atlantic Tall. Its trunk is crooked, with a swollen base. Its crown is full and rounded. The nuts are long and angular, with a thick husk. They are green or bronze when young.

The University of Florida describes it as a variety with a crooked trunk and swollen trunk base. It was once the main coconut of Florida and Jamaica. It has very low resistance to a fatal disease called lethal yellowing. By 1983 the disease had destroyed about 100,000 coconut palms in South Florida. Many survivors still stand on older properties. It is grown in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Florida, Mexico’s Gulf coast and West Africa.

2. Panama Tall

The Panama Tall is a large, robust coconut. It is also called the Pacific Tall. Its trunk is thick. It grows rapidly. The nuts are large and round. They are green or bronze before they ripen.

It comes from the Pacific coast of Central America. It withstands strong wind better than most varieties. Its resistance to lethal yellowing is rated low. It is best known as a parent of the Maypan hybrid. Researchers rank it among the most genetically diverse coconuts. It is grown in Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico’s Pacific coast, Jamaica and Florida.

3. West Coast Tall

The West Coast Tall is the standard coconut of India. It is also called the ordinary or common tall. It grows in all soil types and tolerates dry spells. It begins to bear in 6 to 7 years. It averages about 80 nuts per palm each year. Each nut yields about 176 grams of copra.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University recommends it for large-scale planting in coastal regions. Its copra contains about 68% oil. The palm also yields good sap when tapped. The sap is fermented into toddy or boiled into sugar. It is a parent of many Indian hybrids. It is grown in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Gujarat and Lakshadweep.

4. East Coast Tall

The East Coast Tall is the common coconut of India’s eastern shore. It is a hardy, long-lived palm. Its nuts are medium-sized. It bears in about 6 to 8 years. It is used for both tender nuts and copra. It tolerates drier conditions than the west coast type.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University lists it among the varieties suitable for that state. In a comparison of varieties it gave slightly lower yields than the West Coast Tall. It is widely grown by small farmers. It is also a parent of several hybrids. Its nuts suit household cooking. It is grown in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.

5. Tiptur Tall

The Tiptur Tall is the popular coconut of inland Karnataka. It is a tall palm suited to dry interior districts. It begins to bear in 6 to 7 years. It averages about 86 nuts per palm each year. Each nut gives about 178 grams of copra. Its oil content is about 68%.

It is named for a market town famous for its copra. The region produces whole dried kernels known as ball copra. These are prized for eating and for ceremonies. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University describes it as a popular variety of Karnataka. It is adapted to irrigated gardens away from the coast. It is grown in the Tumkur, Hassan and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka.

6. Laccadive Ordinary

The Laccadive Ordinary comes from India’s coral islands. It has been released under the name Chandrakalpa. It is a tall palm that bears regularly. Its nuts are medium-sized. Its copra is rich in oil. It adapts to many soils.

Researchers describe it as excellent for toddy and high in oil. In one trial it produced among the most flower clusters per palm. It is recommended for Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It tolerates drought fairly well. It is a parent of several hybrids. It is grown in Lakshadweep, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

7. Andaman Ordinary

The Andaman Ordinary is a large tall coconut from the Andaman Islands. It has been released under the name VPM-3. Its trunk is sturdy. Its nuts are large. It is used for both tender nuts and copra. It bears in about 6 to 7 years.

In a comparison of varieties it gave the highest nut yield. It also produced the most flower clusters per palm. It is recommended for Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. It is a parent of the hybrid Anandaganga. Its large nuts give thick kernel. It is grown in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and southern India.

8. Philippines Ordinary

The Philippines Ordinary is a tall coconut introduced to India. It has been released there under the name Kerachandra. Its nuts are large and round. Its kernel is thick. It bears regularly. It is used for both tender nuts and copra.

It is recommended for Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It came from the collections of the Philippines, the world’s second-largest producer. It performs well under irrigation. Its heavy copra makes it valuable for oil. It is one of several foreign talls adopted in India. It is grown in the Philippines and in southern India.

9. Laguna Tall

The Laguna Tall is the most widely planted coconut in the Philippines. It is named for a province south of Manila. It is a tall, productive palm. Its nuts are small to medium. It bears many nuts per bunch. It is the standard for Philippine trials.

In a Philippine study it gave about 123 nuts per tree each year. The same palms also yielded sap for sugar and vinegar. It is a parent of several local hybrids. Its copra is of good quality. It adapts to many parts of the country. It is grown across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao in the Philippines.

10. San Ramon

San Ramon is famous for very large nuts. It comes from the southern Philippines. The nuts are round and heavy. The kernel is thick. Each nut gives a high weight of copra. The palm is tall and robust.

It bears fewer nuts than Laguna, but each is much larger. Breeders in many countries have used it to increase nut size. India lists it among its conserved tall varieties. It needs fertile soil and good rainfall. It is slow to begin bearing. It is grown in Zamboanga and other parts of Mindanao, and in research collections in India and Sri Lanka.

11. Tagnanan Tall

The Tagnanan Tall is another large-fruited Philippine coconut. It comes from the Davao region of Mindanao. Its nuts are big and round. It begins to bear earlier than most talls. Its kernel is thick. Its yields are steady.

It is best known as a parent. Crossed with a Malayan dwarf, it produces the Matag hybrid. Philippine hybrids using it gave 143 to 169 nuts per tree each year. That is well above the Laguna Tall. It passes on large fruit to its offspring. It is grown in Mindanao and in seed gardens in Malaysia.

12. Sri Lanka Tall

The Sri Lanka Tall is the plantation coconut of Sri Lanka. It is a tall palm with a slender trunk. Its nuts are medium-sized and slightly oblong. It bears in 6 to 8 years. It is grown mainly for copra, oil and dried coconut. It lives for many decades.

Coconut has been cultivated in Sri Lanka since about 300 BC. Researchers there studied 96 collections of this tall type. They found that nut yield is strongly inherited. Several forms exist, differing in nut shape and husk. It is a parent of Sri Lanka’s hybrids. It is grown throughout the coconut triangle of western Sri Lanka.

13. Rennell Tall

The Rennell Tall comes from a remote island in the Solomon Islands. Its nuts are very large. They are long, with a thick husk. The palm is tall and vigorous. It bears heavily. It is highly valued by breeders.

The University of Hawaii notes that the coconut is thoroughly naturalized on tropical shores and central to Polynesian cooking. The Rennell Tall represents the large-fruited coconuts of the Pacific. It tolerates strong winds. It is widely used in hybrid breeding in the Pacific. Its hybrids with Malayan dwarfs are popular in several island nations. It is grown in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa.

14. West African Tall

The West African Tall is the common coconut of Africa’s Atlantic coast. It is a tall, hardy palm. Its nuts are medium-sized and somewhat elongated. Its husk is thick. It tolerates drought well. It bears in about 6 to 7 years.

It is one of the most widely cultivated tall coconuts. Its main importance is as a parent. Crossed with a Malayan dwarf, it gives the Mawa hybrid. It is susceptible to a lethal disease found in West Africa. India keeps it in its research collections. It is grown in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Benin and Togo.

15. Malayan Tall

The Malayan Tall is the traditional coconut of Malaysia. It is a tall palm that can exceed 80 feet. Its nuts are large. It bears late, after 6 to 8 years. It lives for many decades. It is grown mostly by small farmers.

A Malaysian university review found that it produces only 6,000 to 8,000 fruits per hectare each year. Dwarf varieties in the same country produce several times as many. It is therefore being replaced in new plantings. Its copra is of good quality. It still supplies mature nuts for coconut milk. It is grown in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

16. Malayan Yellow Dwarf

The Malayan Yellow Dwarf is the best-known dwarf coconut. Its nuts, leaf stalks and flower stems are pale yellow. Its trunk is narrow and straight. It begins to bear in 3 to 4 years. The nuts are small to medium. It first appeared in Malaysia in the late 1800s.

A Malaysian review reported that it can produce 25,000 to 30,000 fruits per hectare each year. Its small nuts are well suited to the young coconut water trade. It is a common mother palm for hybrids. The University of Florida notes that its resistance to lethal yellowing is lower than first believed. It needs more fertilizer than tall types. It is grown in Malaysia, Thailand, India, Brazil, Fiji, Jamaica and Florida.

17. Malayan Red Dwarf

The Malayan Red Dwarf bears orange-red nuts. It is also sold as the Golden Malayan Dwarf. Its leaf stalks are the same warm color. It fruits early, in 3 to 4 years. The nuts are small to medium. The palm is compact and ornamental.

It yields as heavily as the yellow form. It is planted for tender nuts and for landscaping. It is a parent of Philippine and Malaysian hybrids. In Florida trials many Malayan Dwarfs were lost to lethal yellowing. It pollinates itself and comes true from seed. It is grown in Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Caribbean and Florida.

18. Malayan Green Dwarf

The Malayan Green Dwarf has green nuts and leaf stalks. It is slightly more vigorous than the yellow and red forms. Some researchers class it as a semi-tall. It bears in about 4 years. Its nuts are small to medium. Its water is sweet.

It is one of three color forms of the Malayan Dwarf. The University of Florida records that the green form is also affected by lethal yellowing. It is the mother of a Tamil Nadu hybrid. It tolerates a range of soils. It is popular as a garden palm. It is grown in Malaysia, India, the Caribbean, Central America and Florida.

19. Chowghat Orange Dwarf

The Chowghat Orange Dwarf is India’s leading tender-nut coconut. Its nuts are bright orange. It is a small, early-bearing palm. It fruits in 3 to 4 years. The nuts are small. The water is very sweet.

Kerala Agricultural University names it as the tender nut variety for that state. Researchers describe it as giving good-quality tender nuts. It is a parent of the hybrids Chandrasankara and Kerasankara. Its kernel is thin, so it is not grown for copra. It is named for a coastal town in Kerala. It is grown in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

20. Chowghat Green Dwarf

The Chowghat Green Dwarf is the green-fruited partner of the orange type. It is a short, early-bearing palm. Its nuts are small and green. It fruits in about 3 to 4 years. It bears many nuts per bunch. It is grown mainly for tender nuts.

It is noted for resistance to a serious coconut disease of Kerala. That has made it important in breeding. It was the pollen parent of India’s first coconut hybrid. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University lists it for Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Its kernel is thin and its copra is poor. It is grown in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

21. Gangabondam

Gangabondam is a green dwarf coconut from eastern India. It is taller than most dwarfs and is sometimes called a semi-tall. Its nuts are green and oblong. It bears in about 4 years. Its water is sweet. It is used for tender nuts.

It is a parent of three hybrids recommended in Kerala. Each crosses a tall mother with Gangabondam pollen. Those hybrids suit both rainfed and irrigated farms. It originated in Andhra Pradesh. Its nuts are larger than those of the Chowghat dwarfs. It is grown in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

22. Fiji Dwarf

The Fiji Dwarf is an unusual, slow-growing coconut. It is also called Niu Leka. Its trunk is thick, with a swollen base. Its leaves are very broad and closely spaced. It bears large nuts. It looks like a short, stocky tall palm.

It has shown the highest resistance to lethal yellowing among varieties tested in Florida. At a federal research station in Miami, none had died of the disease. It is well adapted to Florida’s poor soils. It must be isolated from other coconuts, or its seedlings grow into tall, susceptible palms. Its genetic diversity is second only to that of the talls. It is grown in Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and southern Florida.

23. Cameroon Red Dwarf

The Cameroon Red Dwarf is a small palm with orange-red nuts. It is among the shortest coconut varieties. It bears in about 3 years. The nuts are small and pear-shaped. The water is sweet. It is self-pollinating.

It is used as a mother palm in African hybrid programs. Crossed with tall palms, it gives early-bearing hybrids. India maintains it in its research collections. It is also planted as an ornamental. Its small size makes harvesting easy. It is grown in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana and other parts of West and Central Africa.

24. Brazilian Green Dwarf

The Brazilian Green Dwarf is the coconut behind Brazil’s coconut water industry. Its nuts are green and medium-sized. It bears in about 3 years. A palm can produce well over 100 nuts a year under irrigation. The water is plentiful and sweet. The palm stays short for many years.

It is grown almost entirely for drinking coconuts. Nuts are picked at about 6 to 7 months. They are sold fresh on beaches or processed into packaged water. It performs best with irrigation and fertilizer. It is planted far inland as well as on the coast. It is grown in northeastern Brazil, especially Bahia, Ceará, Pernambuco and Sergipe.

25. Sri Lanka Green Dwarf

The Sri Lanka Green Dwarf is a small palm with green nuts. It is also known as the Ceylon Green Dwarf. It bears in about 3 to 4 years. Its nuts are small. It is self-pollinating. It has a thin trunk.

It is valued in breeding for resistance to a disease found in Africa and the Caribbean. It has been crossed with tall palms in several countries. Sri Lankan botanists class it within the dwarf group. Yellow and orange dwarfs occur beside it. It is not grown on a large scale for nuts. It is grown in Sri Lanka and in breeding programs in Africa and Jamaica.

26. Catigan Green Dwarf

The Catigan Green Dwarf is a productive dwarf from the Philippines. It comes from the Davao region. Its nuts are green and larger than those of most dwarfs. It bears in about 3 to 4 years. It yields heavily. The palm is sturdy for a dwarf.

It is a mother palm for Philippine hybrids. Crossed with the Laguna Tall, it gave 143 to 169 nuts per tree in one study. That hybrid also produced far more sap than the tall parent. Its larger nuts make it useful for copra as well as tender nuts. It is self-pollinating. It is grown in Mindanao and other parts of the Philippines.

27. Nam Hom

Nam Hom is the aromatic coconut of Thailand. Its name means fragrant water. It is a green dwarf. Its water is very sweet and has a scent like pandan leaf. The nuts are small. The young flesh is soft and tender.

It is the coconut most often exported as a trimmed young nut. Thai researchers have studied populations from several southern provinces. They found differences in fruit size and water quality between farms. The aroma is strongest in nuts from certain districts. Malaysia has released a similar aromatic green dwarf. Nam Hom is grown in central and southern Thailand, especially Ratchaburi and Samut Sakhon.

28. King Coconut

The king coconut is a bright orange coconut native to Sri Lanka. Its nuts are long and oval. The palm is shorter than a typical tall. It bears many nuts per bunch. It is grown only for drinking. Its local name is thembili.

Sri Lankan botanists place it in a group of its own, apart from talls and dwarfs. Its water is sweeter than that of ordinary coconuts. It is sold fresh at roadside stalls throughout the island. It is also used in traditional medicine. Bottled king coconut water is now exported. It is grown in Sri Lanka and, on a small scale, in southern India.

29. Macapuno

Macapuno is a coconut with soft, jelly-like flesh. The nut looks normal from outside. Inside, the flesh fills most of the cavity. There is little or no water. The texture is thick and gelatinous. It is used in sweets, ice cream and preserves.

It arises from a natural genetic trait. On an ordinary palm, only a few nuts in a bunch are macapuno. Those nuts cannot sprout on their own. Philippine scientists grow the embryos in laboratories to produce palms that bear mostly macapuno. The same form is known in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and Thailand under other names. It is grown mainly in the Philippines.

30. Maypan

Maypan is a hybrid of the Malayan Dwarf and the Panama Tall. It was bred in Jamaica. It resembles the Jamaica Tall in appearance. It grows quickly and strongly. Its nuts are medium to large. They are green or bronze when young.

It was created to replace palms killed by lethal yellowing. It was widely planted in Florida and Jamaica for that reason. The University of Florida reports that long-term trials found it only slightly less susceptible than the Jamaica Tall. Heavy losses have occurred in both places. It remains a vigorous, handsome palm. It is grown in Jamaica, Florida, Mexico and the wider Caribbean.

31. Mawa

Mawa is a hybrid of a Malayan dwarf and the West African Tall. Its name joins the first letters of the two parents. It bears in about 4 years. It yields many medium-sized nuts. It is taller than a dwarf but shorter than a tall. It responds well to fertilizer.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah lists it among four high-yielding varieties released in Sabah. Malaysia had 79,412 hectares of coconut in 2023. Mawa was one of the first hybrids planted on a large scale worldwide. It was developed in Ivory Coast. It needs good management to perform well. It is grown in Malaysia, Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Thailand and parts of Latin America.

32. Matag

Matag is Malaysia’s most popular coconut hybrid. It crosses a Malayan dwarf with the Tagnanan Tall. It bears early. The palm is semi-dwarf. It carries many fruits per bunch. The nuts are large.

A Malaysian university review judged it the most profitable variety to plant. It serves both the tender-nut and mature-nut markets. Its water is sweet, and its kernel is thick. Demand for seedlings exceeds supply. It has been central to Malaysia’s replanting programs. It is grown in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

33. Chandrasankara

Chandrasankara is an Indian hybrid with a dwarf mother. It crosses the Chowghat Orange Dwarf with the West Coast Tall. It bears in 3 to 4 years. It averages about 116 nuts per palm each year. Each nut gives about 215 grams of copra. Its oil content is about 68%.

It was released in Kerala in 1991. Its seedlings are easy to recognize by their vigor and bronze leaf stalks. It is recommended where conditions and management are good. It clearly outperforms the West Coast Tall in areas affected by a major local disease. It is planted on a large scale. It is grown in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

34. Kerasankara

Kerasankara is the reverse cross of Chandrasankara. Its mother is the West Coast Tall, and its father is the Chowghat Orange Dwarf. It bears in about 4 years. It averages about 108 nuts per palm each year. Each nut gives about 187 grams of copra. Its oil content is about 68%.

It was also released in Kerala in 1991. It bears earlier and yields more than either parent. It is recommended for general cultivation. It performs under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. That makes it a safer choice for ordinary farms. It is grown in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

35. Keraganga

Keraganga is a hybrid of the West Coast Tall and Gangabondam. It was developed in Kerala. It bears in about 4 to 5 years. Its nuts are medium to large. It yields well above the tall parent. Its copra is rich in oil.

Kerala Agricultural University recommends it for general cultivation. It suits both rainfed and irrigated farms. It is one of three Kerala hybrids that use Gangabondam as the pollen parent. It combines the hardiness of the tall with the early bearing of the dwarf. It is used for both copra and tender nuts. It is grown in Kerala and neighboring parts of southern India.

Key Takeaways:

Coconuts belong to the palm family: The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is a tropical plant widely cultivated for its fruit, which has numerous food, commercial, and household uses.
Coconuts come in different varieties: Coconut varieties are commonly grouped into tall, dwarf, and hybrid types, each with distinct growth habits, fruit characteristics, and production traits.
Coconut colors vary: Depending on the variety and maturity stage, coconuts may have green, yellow, orange, or brown outer husks.
Coconuts have multiple uses: Coconut water, white flesh, coconut milk, oil, husk fibers, and shells are used in food preparation, cosmetics, gardening, and manufacturing.
Coconut palms thrive in tropical climates: They generally grow best in warm conditions, abundant sunlight, well-drained soil, and areas with adequate moisture.
Coconut maturity affects its characteristics: Young green coconuts typically contain more refreshing liquid, while mature coconuts develop thicker, firmer white flesh suitable for cooking and oil production.