332

You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? (mander.xyz)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

55 comments fedilink hide all child comments

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 month ago

It's probably going to be political since it's wrong.

The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus Cocos. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a nut. They are ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions and are a cultural icon of the tropics.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut

[-] fossilesque@mander.xyz 7 points 1 month ago

I'm off to edit that wiki, the tree is a bit of a misnomer.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecaceae

[-] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 month ago

I see a fight coming your way in the talk section, lol. Good luck.

[-] fossilesque@mander.xyz 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Nah, it's correct. Just needs a clarifying sentence. They use the word tree but it's not technically a tree, rather tree-like. The word tree is used for ease, colloquially. They grew like this as they are plants well suited for seaside wind and storms, hurricanes... Wetland plants. The grasses that didn't give up. Tree definitions vary from form vs function, and form is used more colloquially.

Edit: Fixed yayayayyay I need more edits this month

[-] JackRiddle@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 month ago

No tree is a tree. "Tree" is not a clearly-defined taxonomical category. Anything that is tree-like gets grouped under the catgory "tree".

[-] GlennMagusHarvey@mander.xyz 8 points 1 month ago

I think it's arguable that "tree" is just a term for a growth habit rather than anything really taxonomically meaningful.

[-] juliebean@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

agreed. my grandma used to have a big ol' tree in her front yard, but it had to get cut down. it didn't die though, and thanks to this unintentional coppicing, it is now an enormous bush. my grandma is very proud of her bush.