coconut palm Arecaceae Cocos nucifera L.   symbol: CONU
	Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, up to 18 feet long; individual leaflets, lance shaped and 2 to 3 feet long, dark green, arching, the leaf bases wrapped by a burlap-like husk. Flower: Occur on a dense, upright slightly-branched cluster, white, appearing in spring, the whole structure wrapped in a sheath. Fruit: A coconut, perhaps one of the best known and most useful fruits in the world. Technically a large drupe with a fibrous outer husk and a woody inner shell, which contains the white "meat" (copra) and coconut "milk", generally in clusters. Twig: Bark: Light grayish brown, ringed, becoming more smooth with age. Form: Tall, slender, straight tree with a gracefully curved trunk reaching up to 80 feet tall, feathery top.
	USDA Plants Database Cocos nucifera is planted in the highlighted USDA hardiness zones to the left and may seed into the landscape. See a map of the states in which coconut palm has escaped (opens a new window).