Coconut

The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the <a href="/facts/Palm_tree/5bN6Wwcr">palm tree</a> <a href="/facts/Family_(biology)/qTrn6E8E">family</a> (<a href="/facts/Arecaceae/5bN6Wwcr">Arecaceae</a>) and the only living <a href="/facts/Species/oDg6b96r">species</a> of the <a href="/facts/Genus/m8EFjSms">genus</a> Cocos. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the <a href="/facts/Seed/a4xGSLxJ">seed</a>, or the <a href="/facts/Fruit/PBpuzk60">fruit</a>, which botanically is a <a href="/facts/Drupe/WrnGMPSa">drupe</a>, not a <a href="/facts/Nut_(fruit)/HvHpVkod">nut</a>. Originally native to <a href="/facts/Central_Indo-Pacific/jmkcFlh2">Central Indo-Pacific</a>, they are now ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions and are a cultural icon of the <a href="/facts/Tropics/Iv1es8Ih">tropics</a>.
The coconut tree provides food, fuel, cosmetics, folk medicine and building materials, among many other uses. The inner flesh of the mature seed, as well as the <a href="/facts/Coconut_milk/vULl8f87">coconut milk</a> extracted from it, forms a regular part of the diets of many people in the tropics and <a href="/facts/Subtropics/gK0KyFUD">subtropics</a>. Coconuts are distinct from other fruits because their <a href="/facts/Endosperm/oGnmuWud">endosperm</a> contains a large quantity of an almost clear liquid, called "<a href="/facts/Coconut_water/5QXGWK6r">coconut water</a>" or "coconut juice". Mature, ripe coconuts can be used as edible seeds, or processed for <a href="/facts/Coconut_oil/mULGkRTS">oil</a> and <a href="/facts/Coconut_milk/vULl8f87">plant milk</a> from the flesh, <a href="/facts/Charcoal/tpYGBHTn">charcoal</a> from the hard shell, and <a href="/facts/Coir/gtUSs3vq">coir</a> from the fibrous <a href="/facts/Husk/YAnnCM14">husk</a>. Dried coconut flesh is called <a href="/facts/Copra/mcGKbQ0R">copra</a>, and the oil and milk derived from it are commonly used in cooking – <a href="/facts/Frying/yGEEdm31">frying</a> in particular – as well as in <a href="/facts/Soap/99DbjMR5">soaps</a> and <a href="/facts/Cosmetics/rb1x6P8c">cosmetics</a>. Sweet coconut sap can be made into drinks or fermented into <a href="/facts/Palm_wine/karpzovm">palm wine</a> or <a href="/facts/Coconut_vinegar/yC27CDkw">coconut vinegar</a>. The hard shells, fibrous husks and long pinnate leaves can be used as material to make a variety of products for <a href="/facts/Furnishing/w0TpPKvu">furnishing</a> and decoration.
The coconut has cultural and religious significance in certain societies, particularly in the <a href="/facts/Austronesian_peoples/mMTl1M9J">Austronesian</a> cultures of the <a href="/facts/Western_Pacific_Ocean/bdxgXRVM">Western Pacific</a> where it is featured in their mythologies, songs, and oral traditions. The fall of its mature fruit has led to a preoccupation with <a href="/facts/Death_by_coconut/I3lSMYC8">death by coconut</a>. It also had ceremonial importance in pre-colonial <a href="/facts/Animistic/jsPnJBuD">animistic</a> religions. It has also acquired religious significance in <a href="/facts/South_Asia/7gTqe3hY">South Asian</a> cultures, where it is used in <a href="/facts/Ritual/EIJngpmf">rituals</a> of <a href="/facts/Hindu/D7TFhcg1">Hinduism</a>. It forms the basis of wedding and worship rituals in Hinduism. It also plays a central role in the <a href="/facts/Coconut_Religion/R2NMxuy0">Coconut Religion</a> founded in 1963 in <a href="/facts/Vietnam/0ulfA8Eq">Vietnam</a>.
Coconuts were first <a href="/facts/Crop_domestication/kjxahQf3">domesticated</a> by the <a href="/facts/Austronesian_peoples/mMTl1M9J">Austronesian peoples</a> in <a href="/facts/Island_Southeast_Asia/8Jk7HBF6">Island Southeast Asia</a> and were spread during the <a href="/facts/Neolithic/wRS0Bnh4">Neolithic</a> via their <a href="/facts/Austronesian_expansion/mMTl1M9J">seaborne migrations</a> as far east as the <a href="/facts/Pacific_Islands/AxJ5sXWp">Pacific Islands</a>, and as far west as <a href="/facts/Madagascar/ez12IAcY">Madagascar</a> and the <a href="/facts/Comoros/b6HkaTRQ">Comoros</a>. They played a critical role in the long sea voyages of Austronesians by providing a portable source of food and water, as well as providing building materials for Austronesian <a href="/facts/Outrigger_boat/EGdo6e5p">outrigger boats</a>. Coconuts were also later spread in historic times along the coasts of the <a href="/facts/Indian_Ocean/Kv0crwKG">Indian</a> and <a href="/facts/Atlantic_Ocean/EI4uChIb">Atlantic</a> <a href="/facts/Ocean/8W8lYgjD">Oceans</a> by <a href="/facts/South_Asia/7gTqe3hY">South Asian</a>, <a href="/facts/Arab_people/E77duPsg">Arab</a>, and <a href="/facts/Age_of_Discovery/Hy29CbgV">European</a> sailors. Based on these separate introductions, coconut populations can still be divided into Pacific coconuts and Indo-Atlantic coconuts, respectively. Coconuts were introduced by Europeans to the <a href="/facts/Americas/hEuUTL4K">Americas</a> during the <a href="/facts/European_colonization_of_the_Americas/1HImQual">colonial era</a> in the <a href="/facts/Columbian_exchange/xaYrED8p">Columbian exchange</a>, but there is evidence of a possible <a href="/facts/Pre-Columbian/0Ntjleee">pre-Columbian</a> introduction of Pacific coconuts to <a href="/facts/Panama/GckVVhnp">Panama</a> by Austronesian sailors. The evolutionary origin of the coconut is under dispute, with theories stating that it may have evolved in <a href="/facts/Asia/4IToYrrQ">Asia</a>, South America, or Pacific islands.
Trees can grow up to 30 metres (100 feet) tall and can yield up to 75 fruits per year, though fewer than 30 is more typical. Plants are intolerant to cold and prefer copious precipitation and full sunlight. Many insect pests and diseases affect the species and are a nuisance for commercial production. In 2022, about 73% of the world's supply of coconuts was produced by <a href="/facts/Indonesia/vQnWU3IW">Indonesia</a>, <a href="/facts/India/QW4TV4sy">India</a>, and the <a href="/facts/Philippines/ARpmxXQV">Philippines</a>.

Coconut open-in-new

Coconut