The coconut palm, Cocus nucifera, is an economically valuable tree found on many tropical coasts. It has a long, leaning trunk crowned by a cluster of large fronds, and grows to a height of about 30.5 meters (100 feet). The fruits, coconuts, take one year to develop and a single palm normally produces up to 100 nuts in one year. Each nut is surrounded by a thick fibrous husk and contains a white kernel surrounding the "coconut milk." The kernel is dried to produce copra, which is the source of coconut oil, a vegetable oil much used in the United States and Europe in detergents, edible oils, margarine, brake fluid, etc. The fibers of the husk are used for mats and ropes.