In Ecuador, a total of 15 varieties or forms of coconut palms have been identified in 2020, of which 13 different Dwarf varieties, the Tall-type Criollo, and heterogeneous intermediate forms called Manilon or Injiertos. The most surprising coconut variety or form we found was a Tall-type. It is called "Chimera coconut palm", have mixed green and white/yellow leaf color, produces big round-flat brown coconut with a pinkish tint inside the young husk.
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One variety only was identified as an already known variety coming from abroad, The Malayan Red Dwarf. Some other local varieties are named “Manila” or Manilon, and this strongly suggest an earlier introduction from the Philippines (Capital city Manila). Althouth some of these “Manila” varieties resembles some Filipino varieties, they have evolved and it seems they are no longer the same than in the Philipines. The “Manila” types are presently classified as Dwarfs although they have a larger stem and grow faster than Malayan Dwarfs. May be, in the future, they could be classified apart.
Five types of Red Dwarfs
Red Dwarfs are particularly important for seed gardens, du to a sprout genetic markers that facilitates varietal identification.
- Malayan Red Dwarf (MRD)
- Similar in stem size to MRD but have rounder big fruit, probably derived from MRD;
- Manila, bigger stem with bigger round fruits and red-orange color;
- Manila, bigger stem with bigger round fruits and the “Morado” characteristics (Pink color inside the young fruits);
- Similar in stem size to MRD, with bicolor fruits with white and red-orange color darker than the MRD.
The Malayan Red Dwarf is sometimes called Manila Red in Ecuador. We saw a gevy good palm growing on charcoal, and charcoal can be used as fertilizer (see all the papers avout Biochar). So, they are at least 4 other local Red Dwarf (or “Bastard” types) that differs from the Malayan Red Dwarf.