Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) bearing ripening fruits (coconuts). The coconut palm can grow up to 30 metres high. Its leaves are between 2 and 6 metres in length and are used to construct thatched roofs, mats and baskets. As a coconut matures, it turns from green through yellow and orange (seen here) to brown. The coconuts yield different food products as they mature. Young coconuts contain a nutritious liquid, rich in vitamin C, and a soft, jelly-like flesh. Older fruit contain a thicker liquid (milk) and white, solid flesh that is used in cooking rather than eaten raw. The husk fibres of mature coconuts are used to make ropes and matting.