Plant products

Plants provide many of the materials we use every day. From tree trunks we harvest timber to build houses, wood to turn into paper, and resins to make varnish. Dyes can be made from berries and leaves, and textiles from plant fibers. Some plants have many uses. In Malaysia, for example, the coconut palm is called the “tree of a thousand uses” because almost every part of this tree is useful.

Fruit ❯ The large, smooth fruits of the coconut palm contain a seed known as the coconut. It has a hard, hairy shell and edible white flesh.

Coconut water, the liquid found inside the immature seed, is a delicious drink that is rich in nutrients.

Utensils, such as this cup, can be carved from coconut shells.

Musical instruments, such as this Hawaiian pahu drum, are made from coconut timber. Ropes can be made from coir, the fibers of the coconut husk.

Logs of coconut timber are often used in construction because they do not decay easily. Oil is extracted from the white flesh for use in cooking.

Trunk ❯ Coconut palms can grow up to 98 1⁄2 ft (30 m) tall. Their slender, flexible trunks, which have a ringed pattern, allow them to bend rather than break in strong winds.

A male flower opens, sheds pollen, and falls off within a day.

Flower ❯ Coconut flower stalks contain spikes growing from a fleshy stem. Male flowers grow at the tops of the spikes, while female ones grow at their base. Both types of flowers produce nectar to attract insects.

Brooms are made from the stiff, dried midribs of coconut leaves.

Coconut leaves can grow up to 6 ft (1.8 m) wide.

Leaf ❯ Mature coconut palms have around 35 leaves, each of which grows from a single bud at the top of the tree. Coconut leaves can grow up to 19 3⁄4 ft (6 m) in length.

Baskets can be made by weaving together the leaflets of coconut leaves. Sugar is made from the sweet sap in the stalks of the flower buds.

Other plants and their products

Cotton White fibers surround the seeds of the cotton plant. In the wild, these fibers drift off in the wind, carrying the seeds to new places to grow. The fibers can be removed from the seeds and spun into threads to make textiles.

Hemp This was one of the first plants to be used for clothing. The long fibers that make up the stem of the plant are used to make threads that can be woven into fabrics or twisted into string.

Cork oak The waterproof outer bark of the cork oak tree is used to make stoppers for bottles, floor tiles, and many other household objects. The bark grows slowly and is harvested once a decade.

Rubber The milky sap of the rubber tree is harvested by cutting a line into its trunk and collecting the liquid that drips out. When set, rubber is an elastic material used to make gloves, shoe soles, and tires. Thread

String

Cork stopper Layer of bark has been removed.