Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is a tropical evergreen tree that grows up to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 m long and 2–3 m wide. It has a thick trunk, and large, hard seeds. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word.
The coconut palm is grown throughout the tropics for its many uses. The white flesh of the coconut edible and used in cooking; oil from the flesh is used in margarine, shortening, and cosmetics; while coir from the husk is used in brushes, mats, ropes, and doormats. Other parts of the tree are also used: sap from unopened inflorescences (buds) can be made into wine or vinegar; trunks are often hollowed out to make boats; while leaves are woven into baskets or roofs.
The origin of coconuts remains unknown as they are now found across all tropical regions including America (even Hawaii), Africa and Asia but no fossil record exists for them anywhere else in the world. One theory suggests that they floated on ocean currents from their place of origin until they were washed ashore on some remote beach where they took root – this would explain why so many different cultures have independently made use of coconuts over time without any apparent diffusion of knowledge about them between cultures. Another possibility is that early human travelers carried them with them as they moved around – this might explain why there are varieties of coconuts adapted to different climatic conditions such as those found in India which require more moisture than those found elsewhere. However it happened though coconuts now play an important role in human culture as well as being an important source of food and other products for people living in tropical areas around the world