The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the Arecaceae family (palm family) and the only living species of the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the whole coconut palm tree or the seed, or the fruit, which, botanically, is a drupe, not a nut. The names "Coco" – meaning head or skull in reference to the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble the eyes and mouth with the triangular nose in between – and "coconut", have two distinct possible origins both dating back to the time of Portuguese and Spanish exploration of the world in the early years of the 15th and 16th centuries. According to João de Barros (1496-1570), the names "coconut" and "coco" were given to the fruit by the sailors of the Vasco da Gama expedition circa 1498, coming into contact along the coasts of the Indian Ocean with coconut palms. The second version is that the names stem from encounters by Portuguese and Spanish explorers with Pacific islanders in 1521 during Magellan’s crossing of the Pacific. In both cases the coconut shell reminded them of a mythical ghost or witch in Portuguese folklore called coco (female côca). The species name nucifera is Latin for "nut-bearing". The coconut palm tree is unique for its versatility offering essential elements for food, construction and cosmetics. It is commonly referred to as the "tree of one hundred uses" or more poetically the "tree of life". The coconut palm provides a regular part of the diet for many people in the tropics and subtropics. Coconuts are distinct from other fruits as their endosperm (what we call the nut) contains a large quantity of water (sometimes called "milk") and which, when immature, is harvested for the potable and sterile coconut water and the jellied inner flesh. When mature, the nuts can be used as seed nuts or processed. Charcoal is made from the hard shell, and coir (a braided rope better known in Oceania as sinnet) is woven from the fibrous husk, when fresh, the grated and pressed coconut flesh provides milk and when dried (known as copra) it is pressed for oil commonly used in cooking, as well as in soaps and cosmetics. The husks and leaves are used as material to make a variety of products for building, furnishing and decorating. The earliest written reference to the coconut appears to be that in the Sallier papyrus which r e c o r d s a specimen of this plant in the botanical collection of Tothmes I around 1650 BC. A subsequent description of the coconut palm such as that offered by Cosmos of Alexandria in his Topographia Christiana written around 545, makes a reference to the "argell" tree and its drupe (nut). The next mention is by Marco Polo in Sumatra in 1280 who called it nux indica, this taken from the Arab jawz hindī, which translates to "Indian nut". Ludovico di Varthema published a detailed description of the coconut in his Itinerario in 1510 using Thenga, its Malayalam name and it reappears as such in the later Hortus Indicus Malabaricus published in Amsterdam between 1678 and 1693. In March 1521, a description of the coconut was given by Antonio Pigafetta writing in Italian and using the words "cocho"/"cochi", as recorded in his journal after the first European crossing of the Pacific Ocean during the Magellan circumnavigation. Even the fictional "Sinbad the Sailor" set in the 7th and 8th centuries AD offers an early mention of the coconut as he is said to have bought and sold coconut during his fifth voyage. The origin of the plant is still the subject of debate. It has generally been accepted that the coconut originated in the Indo-Pacific region and float-distributed itself around the world by riding ocean currents. The similarities of the local names in the Malaysia–Indonesia region is cited as evidence that the plant originated in the area. The Polynesian and Melanesian term niuand and the Tagalog and Chamorro term niyog are said to be based on the Malay word nyiur or nyior. O. F. Cook, one of the earliest modern researchers to look into the origin of the coconut hypothesized that the plant originated in the Americas, based on his belief that American coconut populations predated European contact and because he considered pan-tropical distribution by ocean currents improbable. Some research has been done on the survival rate of floating mature coconuts and they appear to be able to support some 100 to 160 days of salt water immersion and thus able to travel perhaps up to several thousand kilometers
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