A question about coconuts

[MC Morrado]

Are coconuts a fruit or a mammal? Coconuts have hair and produce some water/milk-like liquid inside it. If not: then what the hell is it? is it a fruit, a vegetable? Is it a nut because we have to crack them open like walnuts? This confuses on me on so many levels like being told a banana was a berry.

 

 

[SansVarnic]

It is edible, all I need to know.

[RollyShed]

3 hours ago, MC.Morrado said:

Are coconuts a fruit or a mammal?

What is a coconut you ask?

Do you have a computer?

Have you put the question to Wikipedia?

At least we know the answer to the second question is NO.

 

The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm tree family

The coconut tree provides food, fuel, cosmetics, folk medicine and building materials, among many other uses.

 

Botanically, the coconut fruit is a drupe, not a true nut.

 

The exocarp is the glossy outer skin, usually yellow-green to yellow-brown in color. The mesocarp is composed of a fiber, called coir, which has many traditional and commercial uses. Both the exocarp and the mesocarp make up the "husk" of the coconut, while the endocarp makes up the hard coconut "shell".

 

From that the "hair", Coir (the fiber from the husk of the coconut) is used in ropes, mats, doormats, brushes, and sacks, as caulking for boats, and as stuffing fiber for mattresses.

[Matsubento]

On 2/2/2025 at 5:31 AM, RollyShed said:

What is a coconut you ask?

Do you have a computer?

Have you put the question to Wikipedia?

At least we know the answer to the second question is NO.

 

The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm tree family

The coconut tree provides food, fuel, cosmetics, folk medicine and building materials, among many other uses.

 

Botanically, the coconut fruit is a drupe, not a true nut.

 

The exocarp is the glossy outer skin, usually yellow-green to yellow-brown in color. The mesocarp is composed of a fiber, called coir, which has many traditional and commercial uses. Both the exocarp and the mesocarp make up the "husk" of the coconut, while the endocarp makes up the hard coconut "shell".

 

From that the "hair", Coir (the fiber from the husk of the coconut) is used in ropes, mats, doormats, brushes, and sacks, as caulking for boats, and as stuffing fiber for mattresses.

This has been addressed in song form back in 1991 when this song was released. Artist name is Smokey Mountain from the Philippines. It's a lighthearted song discussing taxonomy and the many uses of the coconut tree. It's basically your post but in song form.

 

[wanderingfool2]

On 2/1/2025 at 10:07 AM, MC.Morrado said:

Are coconuts a fruit or a mammal? Coconuts have hair and produce some water/milk-like liquid inside it. If not: then what the hell is it? is it a fruit, a vegetable? Is it a nut because we have to crack them open like walnuts? This confuses on me on so many levels like being told a banana was a berry.

 

 

I mean a coconut is clearly a mammal since horses are mammals and clearly as was seen in the documentary Monty Python and the Holy Grail coconuts are clearly horses [which in turn are mammals].  Although depending whether or not your coconut floats prior to evolving into a horse, it may be a witch if it weighs more than a duck.  

 

Although, I have heard that the coconut is a giant nut if you eat to much you get very fat (ah man, I realized @Matsubento beat me to the reference).

 

Honestly though, fruit/vegetable is really mixed.  Strawberries aren't berries, cashews aren't actually nuts (seriously google cashew fruit), banana's are also botanically berries but many call it fruit.  Really things get all mixed up and classifications are just what people almost wanted to call it at the time they were discovered.  Cucumbers are thought as vegetables by many but are fruits.  Even things we call pumpkins aren't necessarily "pumpkins".  Like you have some squashes that are genetically more similar to a "pumpkin" than a "pumpkin" is to another variety of "pumpkin".  It's just if it's round and pumpkin shaped we tended to call those pumpkins.