It is one of about 2,600 species in the palm family arecaceae and it is the only extant species in the genus cocos. The term coconut refers to the fruit of the coconut palm, which consists of a fibrous รขโ‚ฌยฆ Originally native to central indo-pacific, they are ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions.

The inner flesh of the mature รขโ‚ฌยฆ