coconut palm

Scientific name: Cocos nucifera

Common names: coconut, coconut palm

Family: Arecaceae

Genus: Cocos (generally treated as monotypic, with C. nucifera as the single widespread species)

Cocos nucifera is a tall, single-stemmed palm with a crown of large pinnate leaves. The trunk is usually solitary and ringed with leaf scars; trunks may be straight or slightly leaning. Leaves are long and pinnate with many narrowly linear leaflets arranged along a central rachis, giving a feathery appearance. Inflorescences are large, branched, and emerge among the leaves; individual flowers are small and typically have three sepals and three petals (tepals), with male and female flowers borne on the same inflorescence (monoecious). Fruits are large, fibrous drupes (coconuts) containing a liquid endosperm ("coconut water") and a firm inner kernel. Seasonal timing of flowering and fruiting can vary with climate; in tropical settings these palms may flower and fruit year-round, while in marginal or subtropical sites reproductive activity may be more sporadic.

Coconut palms typically grow in warm, coastal settings and are often associated with sandy, well-drained soils. They tolerate salt spray and saline soils better than many tree species and commonly occupy beach fronts, coastal hammocks, and cultivated landscapes in tropical and subtropical regions. They prefer full sun and moderate to high moisture but can persist under a range of moisture regimes when irrigation or consistent rainfall is available. In the United States they are commonly cultivated and naturalized in Florida and Hawaii and are occasionally reported from sheltered coastal sites in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina where microclimates reduce the risk of frost.

Coconut palms provide food and habitat for a variety of animals. Flowers are visited by insects and can also be affected by wind pollination; both insect and wind pollination have been documented. Mature fruits are a food resource for some crustaceans, mammals, and birds in regions where they occur, and the buoyant seeds are adapted for ocean dispersal, enabling long-distance colonization of islands and coastlines.

Cocos nucifera is widely cultivated and not generally considered globally threatened. Notable adaptations include a highly buoyant, fibrous seed adapted for long-distance ocean dispersal and notable tolerance of saline coastal environments. The “nut” is botanically a drupe rather than a true nut.