Fairchild Botanic Garden

Common name: coconut (English)

Family: Arecaceae (Palm)

Distribution: Pan tropical

Life form: Tree

Description: This is the iconic swaying palm of tropical beaches everywhere, one of the world’s most beloved and important plants. Often called the “tree of life,” the coconut provides nearly everything people need to survive, including food, water, and shelter. Coconuts have been carried around by sailors and ocean currents for millennia, so nobody knows for sure where the species originated. Today it is grown in nearly every frost-free part of the world. It lends a wonderful tropical aura to any landscape, but in urban areas its fruits are removed before they develop into dangerous falling coconuts.