THE BROWN DWARF: A RECENT ADDITION TO THE VARIETIES AND FORMS OF THE COCONUT PALM GROWN IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

The endemic coconut germplasm of Sri Lanka have been; categorized into three<br />main varieties Viz. typica. nana and aurantiaca by Liyanage (1958) based on their<br />morphological characters and breeding behavior.<br />The variety nana or the dwarf, also known as Kundira to the local farmer,<br />included three colour forms viz. form red (Regia), form yellow (Eburnea) and form<br />green (Pumilla). Except for these three colour forms no other intermediate forms<br />had been reported.<br />Under the germplasm collection and conservation programme of the Coconut<br />Research Institute of Sri Lanka, a single palm of a brown coloured dwarf was<br />initially identified in a home garden near Madampe in the Puttalam district (Peries,<br />1991). Later a few palms showing similar morphological characters and breeding<br />behavior were located in Kirimetiyana, Marawila and Mawathagama within the<br />coconut triangle, with most cases as a single tree in a home garden.<br />The original palms were initially inspected for their breeding behavior, by<br />observing the male and female phases of the inflorescence, and other common<br />morphological characters such as stature, stem girth, presence of absence of the bole,<br />length and width of fronds and leaflets, nut components, inflorescence and the<br />germination speed.