Any wild Coconuts in Florida?

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

Ive heard people brought over coconuts in the 1600s and planted them around the southern part of the state.  eventually the grew very large and became naturalised.  are any of these natrualized coconut forests still around?  are there any other examples of  wild coconuts in florida?

Edited October 18, 2016 by Mr.SamuraiSword

[RedRabbit]

The earliest I've heard of them being here was from that shipwreck in 1878. Does anyone know if there's record of coconuts in Florida prior to that? There wasn't much of anything in Florida before then so I wouldn't count on it...

The only place I've seen wild coconuts in abundance have been in the keys. The current on the east coast takes them north so I've heard of the occasional wild coconut growing as far as northern Brevard  County. Overall, the ones I've seen in S Florida have been planted by an overwhelming margin... If a wild coconut forest is what you're looking for I think it's the keys.

[PalmTreeDude]

18 hours ago, RedRabbit said:

The earliest I've heard of them being here was from that shipwreck in 1878. Does anyone know if there's record of coconuts in Florida prior to that? There wasn't much of anything in Florida before then so I wouldn't count on it...

The only place I've seen wild coconuts in abundance have been in the keys. The current on the east coast takes them north so I've heard of the occasional wild coconut growing as far as northern Brevard  County. Overall, the ones I've seen in S Florida have been planted by an overwhelming margin... If a wild coconut forest is what you're looking for I think it's the keys.

You can find them, from time to time but it is not to often, in the southern areas of the everglades and on the extreme south west coast, and of course in the south east coast! Naturalized palms.

[PalmTreeDude]

Zeeth has a good picture of a naturalized coconut in south west Florida! PM him for it, or maybe he will post it on this thread. 

[RedRabbit]

11 minutes ago, PalmTreeDude said:

You can find them, from time to time but it is not to often, in the southern areas of the everglades and on the extreme south west coast, and of course in the south east coast! Naturalized palms.

Yep, there aren't too many but there are some around like the one Zeeth has posted. 

[Zeeth]

Here's a mature adult naturalizing in Sarasota (I actually have a palm that I sprouted from a coconut from this tree in 2013):

 

These ones are in Manatee county, but they looked pretty bad last time I checked. I'll post an update on them on the forum if they ever grow to anything substantial. 

[Zeeth]

This group on Merritt island looks like it was probably planted by someone, but it's uncared for and in a natural setting. The damage that 2010 did to them is pretty evident though.

Merritt island coconuts

[PalmTreeDude]

Coconuts thrive in southern coastal Sarasota and Siesta Key. They actualy look quite nice there! 

[Zeeth]

8 minutes ago, PalmTreeDude said:

Coconuts thrive in southern coastal Sarasota and Siesta Key. They actualy look quite nice there! 

All of the islands off of Manatee and Sarasota are great places for coconuts, and they're the furthest north that you can still find coconuts from back when Jamaican talls were the dominant variety in the state. They don't naturalize there very much though because most of the waterfront where they'd be able to has been developed, so there isn't much opportunity. 

[GottmitAlex]

 Do the bifid coconut palm (seedling) leaves open up into pinnae (leaflets)? Or are those completely different leaves altogether?