The Ingenious Tree of Life

This book bases its study on the learning from nature to strive engineering innovation inspired by her. Specifically, the research that constitutes this book aims at understanding the form-structure-function relationship of the coconut palm stem tissue (referred to here as cocowood); it also suggests applications and future studies that could be potentially derived from the acquired knowledge herein. Superior to woody plants (i.e. hardwood and softwood species), coconut palm stems are able to withstand extreme conditions (e.g. hurricanes, tornadoes) without significant failure. The internal stem-tissue structure of this species significantly differs from woody plants, likely influencing the enhanced performance of the coconut palm stem. Yet, there is currently an absence of fundamental knowledge about the underlying principles behind the cocowood functional design and biomechanics. The study comprised in this book contributes to partially address this issue by investigating the biomaterial from both the morphological characteristics and the structural mechanics of the palm, which in turn makes this investigation of particular interest of bioengineering professionals and biologists.