The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm family. It is the only species in the genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall. A coconut is the seed of the coconut palm. The coconut is a simple dry nut known as a fibrous drupe. Although coconut meat contains has less fat than other dry nuts such as peanuts and almonds, it is has a very high amount of saturated fat. Approximately 90% of the fat found in coconut meat is saturated, more than in foods like as lard, butter, and tallow. It is not sure if the saturated fat in coconuts is healthier than the saturated fat found in other foods (see coconut oil for more information) there is a debate trying to understand the health properties of coconuts. Coconut meat also contains less sugar and more protein than popular fruits such as bananas, apples and oranges, and it is relatively high in minerals such as iron, phosphorus and zinc.
Nearly all parts of the coconut palm are useful, and the palms have a comparatively high yield, up to 75 fruits per year. In island nation the tree is revered in the Philippines, the coconut is commonly given the title "Tree of Life". It its theorised that if you were to become stranded on a desert island populated by palm trees, you could survive purely on the tree and coconut alone, as the coconut provides all of the required natural properties for survival.
