And if it’s a fruit, why do they call it a nut?

The fact is many botanists would say that a coconut is both a nut and a fruit.

Nuts are a type of fruit. So are berries, and even grains. A fruit is the part of the plant that carries the seeds, so a fruit can range in shape from a watermelon to a tomato to an acorn.

Fruits are divided into about 14 different categories, and nuts are one of those categories. What makes a nut a nut is basically its dry, hard shell – and the fact that it usually contains only one seed. A coconut is the largest known seed in the world. Once a coconut falls from a palm tree, it takes about three years for this seed to take root and sprout into a new tree.

On the other hand, some botanists would argue that a coconut’s multi-layered, fleshy interior gives it more in common with a group of fruits called the “drupes” than with true nuts. Drupes include soft, juicy things such as peaches and cherries. The rough coconut doesn’t quite fit in, so some add the category of the “dry drupe” – with the coconut as its only member.