Coconut

tropical plants · useful fruit · ocean islands

Three layers of protection. A coconut has a smooth outer skin, a thick fibrous husk, and a hard inner shell that you have to crack open to reach the white meat and sweet liquid inside.

Part of the palm family. Coconut palms are related to date palms and other palm trees around the world, and they can grow quite tall with long feathery leaves.

Tropical island native. Coconuts originally came from the Central Indo-Pacific region and now grow in warm, coastal areas all around the world, thriving in sandy tropical soil.

Multiple uses. People use the white coconut meat for food, drink the coconut water inside, weave the fibrous husk into rope and mats, and even burn the shell as fuel.

Travels across oceans. Coconuts can float on salty ocean water for months without being damaged, which helped them spread to distant islands thousands of years ago.