Coconut palm

Coconuts can also participate in distribution across the water. The air inside the nuts gives them strong buoyancy. The coconuts can drift at sea for three to four months, after which germination begins. By this point at the latest, the coconut must reach land, otherwise the seedling will die. After four to five years, a trunk forms, and after around ten years, the first flowers appear. After four months of growth, the coconut has reached its final size. The hollow space inside is almost completely filled with a protein-rich, slightly cloudy liquid (coconut milk). The coconut reaches full maturity after eleven months. The coconut milk has thickened and the coconut flesh is now referred to as copra. Copra is used to produce coconut oil. The fibres from the fibrous layer surrounding the coconut are processed into coconut mats. Coconut palms bear fruit for around 40 years.

Coconut palms are sometimes planted outside coastal regions as well, including in eastern Masoala. However, flowering is more difficult there because the humid maritime climate is absent. A large plantation is located on the east coast of Madagascar, north of Masoala.