Coconut is a member of the palm tree family, thought to originate in the Pacific and first cultivated on Southeast Asian islands. It is considered native to the Philippines. All parts of it are used: the trunk for lumber, firewood, furniture; the leaves for roofing, rope, wrapping and storage materials; the young coconuts for sweet ‘buko’ juice (very healthy); the mature nuts for coconut milk, meat, and ‘copra’ (coconut oil); dried shells for firewood, charcoal and handcrafted ornaments. The zap from flower stands makes ‘tuba’, a mildly alcoholic morning drink, that is refined into lambanóg. Coconut intercrops with and shades cacao and coffee. Its only – perilous – downside is falling nuts!