Origin[edit]
The range of the natural habitat of the coconut palm tree delineated by the red line
The origin of the plant is the subject of debate.[25][26][27] O.F. Cook was one of the earliest modern researchers to draw conclusions about the location of origin of Cocos nucifera based on its current-day worldwide distribution.[28] He hypothesized that the coconut originated in the Americas, based on his belief that American coconut populations predated European contact and because he considered pan-tropical distribution by ocean currents improbable. Thor Heyerdahl later used this hypothesis of the American origin of the coconut to support his theory that the Pacific Islanders originated in South America.[29] However, more evidence exists for an Indo-Pacific origin either around Melanesia and Malesia or the Indian Ocean.[25][26][27] The oldest fossils known of the modern coconut dating from the Eocene period from around 37 to 55 million years ago were found in Australia and India. However, older palm fossils such as some of nipa fruit have been found in the Americas.[27] Since 1978, the work on tracing the probable origin and dispersal of Cocos nucifera[30] has only recently been augmented by a publication on the germination rate of the coconut seednut [31] and another on the importance of the coral atoll ecosystem.[32] Briefly, the coconut originated in the coral atoll ecosystem - without human intervention - and required a thick husk and slow germination to survive and disperse.