Coconut Flowers

Coconut flowers (above photo) don't much look like most other flowers. When the palm's flower sheath splits open, you see long strands of male flowers (they look a little like corn on the cob) and strands of female flowers (little baby coconuts).

In a couple of weeks the male flowers all fall off and the little coconuts begin to look like acorns (photo below). Here on resorty Maui, coconut palm trees are aggressively trimmed a couple of times each year to prevent people getting bonked on the head by falling coconuts. Even though it would explain a lot - I have never been conked by a coconut . . . at least that I can remember.