Coconut trees, like neem trees, are tropical evergreens with many uses.
Coconut palms and neem trees are both tropical, evergreen trees, but they are from separate families and have varying growth habits and appearances. Common to both trees is that they are both extremely useful for human purposes, although they have very different applications. Coconut trees provide primary ingredients for both food and non-food products. Neem trees are used for medicinal and antiseptic purposes. Does this Spark an idea?
Coconut Trees
The coconut tree is an extremely useful palm that grows in many tropical regions. At maturity, the trunk may reach between 50 and 100 feet tall. At the top, palm fronds grow and eventually bear coconuts, which are the fruit of the tree. The fronds tend to be long and flowing, and the trunk often bends due to fruit weight, wind or instability. Palm leaf spreading can reach 15 to 20 feet, while the leaves themselves are between 18 and 36 inches long.
Uses of Coconut
Coconuts take six months to reach full size, and nearly a year before they are mature and ready for consumption. At this point, they can be removed and various parts used for different purposes. The milk of the coconut is used for sauces and other prepared foods. The meat is often sugared and consumed in the form of candy and other preparations, and it is highly nutritious. Coconut oil is a derivative also used in candy and other sweets, as well as in soaps, candles and other cosmetics.
Neem Trees
Neem trees are hardy plants present throughout tropical areas of the world, including India and West Africa. Unlike coconut palms, they do not have fronds, but produce small leaves on stems and branches that are low to the ground. They may reach 50 feet tall if conditions are favorable and not too cold. Like coconut trees, neem trees are attractive and may be used as a backyard specimen or other landscaping function. The species is related to the mahogany tree.
Uses of Neem Tree
Neem oil, derived from neem leaves, is useful for its pharmaceutical applications, and it has been utilized as such across the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years. The oil is used as a lamp fuel, soap, toothpaste and even as a spermicide. Its substances, which are derived from the bark, leaves, seeds, flowers and fruit of the tree, are used to treat diseases such as ulcers and diabetes. Neem was traditionally used as a pesticide and to improve agricultural production in farmland. It is growing in popularity for these uses globally.
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