Coconut

Description

The term coconut can refer to the whole coconut palm or the seed, or the fruit, which, botanically, is a drupe, not a nut. The spelling coconut is an archaic form of the word. Coconuts are known for their versatility ranging from food to cosmetics. The name coconut derives from seafarers during the 16th and 17th century for its resemblance to a head. Coconuts could not reach inland locations without human intervention (to carry seed nuts, plant seedlings, etc.) and early germination on the palm was important, rather than increasing the number or size of the edible parts of a fruit that was already large enough. Human cultivation of the coconut selected, not for larger size, but for thinner husks and increased volume of spender, the solid "meat" or liquid "water" that provides the fruit its food value. Although these modifications for domestication would reduce the fruit\'s ability to float, this ability would be irrelevant to a cultivated population.