Well, since your dogs didn't die...

Yes I read somewhere that the seeds do contain a poison if native animals eat it is green
eg: Flying foxes ( Fruit Bats)

I have found the link do have a read.....MM.

Here is a link that might be useful: Info

Actually the name has changed a few times, it was once known as Cocos plumosa and as such was placed in the same genus as the true 'Cocos', Cocos nucifera, the Coconut Palm which is completely different.

It was then given the name Arecastrum romanzoffianum for a number of years before finally being placed with the Syagrus genus and given the name Syagrus romanzoffianum.

As Len stated the correct common name is 'Queen Palm' and here in Queensland it was known as that until the likes of Don Burke and others came on the scene and started calling it 'Cocos'. This causes a fair bit of confusion here in Queensland with the Coconut palm which unlike the Queen Palm is not an environmental weed that pops up everywhere.

As for the toxicity of the flesh or seeds, I remember as a child eating them and am now still here! My neighbour has 2 German Shepherds and a number of Queen Palms in her yard. I see the dogs chewing on them all the time and they are still alive as well. They only seem to be chewing the ripe fruit as the green fruit is still on the tree.

Andrew.

I guess that is the thing about common names - there is often more than one for the same plant and hence the need for botanical names. Anyway, I have known Syagrus romanzoffianum as both 'Queen palms' and as 'Cocus palms' for some time now. Both of these common names seem to have been around for a long time - Can't see that it is any big deal, it probably just depends on what school you went to.

The recognised common name in the rest of the world is 'Queen Palm'. None of my horticultural friends in the US have ever heard of 'Cocos' as a common name.

Whatever.....the fact remains however that both common names are commonly used.

No need to get upset Tacca....as I am only stating what is fact!

Not a case of being upset - simply stating that there is no such thing as a correct common name. A common name for a plant in one region may be commonly known by a different name in another region. We seem to have this case here with the Cocus / Queen names. It seems to me that they are known as Cocus palms in Western Aus.

I love eating the fruit, I went to a date farm where I bought fresh dates and the fruit of the Queens palm taste the same.

Can you cut off the fruit bearing green long pod before it opens? Can you cut off the immature fruit stalk or when the fruit first starts to appear? Once it is mature fruit, it is heavy, and the rot/stink as it ferments on ground is messy and difficult to remove.

my friend breeds/shows great dane dogs and they eat these fruit and if anything i'd say good roughage.ha

have to agree breeindy my two LabX got into a heap that I had potted ,they were Sh----- for a week,they have never touched the cocos seeds since .
Stephen

Yes, rosie6456, you can cut off the flower stalks or the immature fruit stalks before the fruits ripen. But that also requires some work.

Don't mean to stray too much but common names are often confusing and/or counter-productive. Example:

(Q) Which mammal, other than man, has the widest North American distribution?

Catamount
Painter
Panther
Mountain Lion
Puma
Cougar
El Tigre

(A) Any of these would be right.

Each is a common name for Felis concolor

In Central Florida, our "gophers" are turtles, not mammals and our Indian River Lagoon has 5 or 6 different critters all with the common name "Blue Crab" or try to find out what a "Chicken Hawk" is or a "Garden Snake"or a "Mud Hen" or.....

Fruit bats thrive on the fruit of Cocos Palms keeping me up at night with their noise. So I guess they are not poisonous. However, anything that attracts fruit bats is a bad thing, the bats carry hendra virus which is deadly to horses and humans. In any case the bats make a mess with their droppings which are like toffee after they have eaten Cocos Palm fruit. Also the bats help to spread the seeds of Cocos Palms which invade bush land etc. Much better to plant Alexandra or Bangalow Palms.

It's not wise to look at what other animals eat and then think it's not toxic for something else. Flying foxes here eat a lot of palm fruits that are highly toxic to other animals but don't affect them. Fruit pigeons can also eat some fruits that are toxic to others.

Hello,
I have just signed up with this interesting website,I had searched Google for cocos palms as they are now meant to be a weed. I have 4 of them next to my home and have developed a lovely rainforest in a small area.My mini foxy has been eating those yellow seedpods for 6 years and loves them,the vet told me dogs eat them because they are sweet but the danger to the dog is when it swallows the seed and it gets stuck somewhere in the stomach and if not seen by a vet quickly its fatal.People say the palm is a nuisance and then there is cockroaches and falling leaves and bats.
Well I was thing of some positive things about this lovely palm tree.
It attracts bees,and beautiful king parrots,The long fronds protect my orchids and ferns, so no need to build a shade house also these palms give a lovely tropical look. As I live in a sub tropical area

The only palm with poisonous fruit is Wodyetia bifurcata, the Australian foxtail palm. Syagrum romanzoffiana, cocos palm fruits are edible, but can result in dogs requiring surgery for removal if they swallow the seeds as well.

The reason flying foxes die from eating the nuts of S. romanzoffiana is that it grinds their teeth down, so they starve to death at around 4-5 years of age, while they live for upto 15 years in captivity.

Carpentaria acuminata is another one that has poisonous fruit.

Thanks Tropic. I couldn't find any confirmation of that online, but I did find that there are others. I stand corrected.