Cocos nucifera

Trunk is slender, grey, conspicuously ringed with scars of fallen leaves, up to 40 cm in diameter at breast height, slightly swollen at the base, usually erect but may be leaning or curved. Leaves are arranged spirally, pinnately compound, feather shaped, 4-7 m long and 1-1.5 m wide at the broadest part. Petiole is stout and thornless with clasping, fibrous sheath at base. Inflorescence is 1-2 m long, axillary, enclosed by a large bract when young, consisting of up to 40 spirally arranged spikes, each bearing 200-300 male flowers and 1-few female flowers in basal parts. Male flowers are 1-3 together, 0.5-1.5 cm in diameter, pale yellow, with 3 small sepals, 3 larger petals and 6 stamens. Female flowers are solitary, much larger than male flowers, sepals and petals each 3, almost orbicular, witha large ovary and 3 sessile triangular stigmas. Fruit is a globose, ovoid or ellipsoid drupe, 20-30 cm long, weighing up to 2.5 kg, 1-seeded. Fruit exocarp is very thin, smooth, green, brilliant orange, yellow to ivory-coloured when ripe, usually drying to grey-brown in old fruits. Mesocarp is fibrous, 4-8 cm thick, pale brown. Endocarp (‘shell’) is 3-6 mm thick, hard, stony, dark brown, with 3 large, slightly sunken pores (‘eyes’) at basal end. Under the endocarpis a thin brown testa covering a white, fleshy endosperm that is soft and jellylike when immature but becomes firm with maturity. The interior of the nut is hollow but partially filled with a liquid endosperm. The liquid is abundant in unripe fruit but is gradually absorbed as ripening proceeds.