Coconut palm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coconut |
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Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) | |
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Cocos
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Cocos nucifera |
The coconut palm is a palm tree in the family Arecaceae (palm family). It is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall. It has leaves that are 4–6 m long. The term coconut refers to the fruit of the coconut palm. The coconut tree is a monocot.
There are many coconut palms on the coasts of India and Bangladesh. People of this area use coconut milk in cooking. Women use coconut oil as oil for their hair. The coconut's shell is relatively hard, but can be broken. Because its shell is hard, it can be used as an ingredient to make craftworks.
Coconut milk is also used in many drinks. Coconut oil is often in food and soaps. People in Sri Lanka use coconut flowers for wedding celebrations. In the Maldives it is the National tree.
A coconut is a large nut. Coconuts grow in tropical countries. The flesh of a coconut is white and can be eaten raw or used in cooking. It is used in many of the foods we eat for flavour. It is native to tropical areas.
Seed dispersal

Coconuts floats on water and can float to another island and germinate there. It has often been noted that coconuts can travel 110 days, or 3000 miles, by sea and still be able to germinate.
Images for kids
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Dehusked coconut shells from Ivory Coast showing the face-like markings.
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Fossil Cocos zeylanica from the Miocene of New Zealand, 4 cm long.
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Coconut tree in Kannur Beach, India
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Coconut germinating on Punalu'u Beach, Island of Hawaii
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Fallen immature nuts, Thrissur, Kerala, India
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Coconut trees line the beaches and corniches of Oman.
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Coconut trees are used for landscaping along a coastal road in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
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Coconut water drink
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Coconut milk (kakang gata) from 15 coconuts (Philippines)
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Harvesting coconuts in the Philippines is done by workers who climb the trees using notches cut into the trunk.
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Coconuts drying before being processed into copra in the Solomon Islands
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Coconut buttons in Dongjiao Town, Hainan, China
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Coconut Palace, Manila, Philippines, built entirely out of coconut and local materials