King coconut (''Cocos nucifera var aurantiaca'') is a variety of

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

, native to the

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The King Coconut also found in India and Indonesia. where it is known as Thæmbili ( Sinhala''තැඹිලි''). Less sugar content than regular coconuts, there are several sub varieties of the king coconut-the most common being the "red dwarf" (kaha thæmbili, commonly referred to as gon thæmbili). The other variety is "Ran Thæmbili", a smaller variety containing about forty nuts in a bunch. The king coconut tree is shorter than coconut trees, and are found commonly growing wild in many areas of the country. The king coconut water, or liquid endosperm of young King coconut is a nutritious, natural beverage as it is rich in sugars (mainly reducing sugars), minerals (mainly K+), vitamins (mainly B & C) and amino acids. King coconut water has been used in

Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

(herbal medicine). One of the most common uses is a mixture of Aralu powder ( Myrobalans) added to the water of a king coconut. Sri Lanka now exports packaged king coconut water in a variety of brands. There are many cultivated coconut varieties found in Sri Lanka. Most of them undergo research through the National Coconut Research Institute. According to research, the National Coconut Research Institute identified these varieties during a recent coconut

germplasm Germplasm are living genetic resources such as seeds or tissues that are maintained for the purpose of animal and plant breeding, preservation, and other research uses. These resources may take the form of seed collections stored in seed banks, t ...

exploration mission in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Coconut in Sri Lanka is currently classified into 15 different forms grouped under three varieties, namely 'Typica', 'Nana' and 'Aurantiaca'. The visual morphological features of several new coconut morphotypes were characterized with the objective of including them in the taxonomic classification of coconut in Sri Lanka. It is also found in some parts of Kerala, where it is known as (Chomana Thenga) or red coconut.

Varieties and forms of coconut found in Sri Lanka

References

{{reflist Coconuts

Varieties and forms of coconut found in Sri Lanka

See also

References