Is there a difference between coconut tree and a palm tree?

My mom and I have been arguing about this ever since she painted what she calls a coconut tree in my room. Aren't coconut trees part of the palm tree 'species' not like a totally different 'breed' or whatever?

Is there a difference between coconut tree and a palm tree?
Coconut palm, Date palm, etc. You are right, there are many kinds of palm trees.
Reply:Without going into detail, let me discuss the artistic perspective.


For Southern California and Florida there are symbolic drawings of palms. The commonly bent trunk with serrated palm branches looks like a cross between the coconut palm and some of the common "Mexican" palms that are found in California. If the drawing had coconuts then you could say it was a coconut palm. If it was a more upright palm it could be arguably be more of a Californian Palm.





If it was a thicker trunked palm then it could be argued that a date palm was drawn, otherwise it would be an imaginary representation of what the artist depicted as a palm.
Reply:yes, there are coconut palms, and date palms and unfruited palms...a large species with many variations
Reply:same species, different plant
Reply:I think a coconut produces coconut and a palme produces a fruit called date. I think they have different sizes too.
Reply:They belong to the same family Palmae Coconut bears edible fruit and water while palm don't
Reply:Coconut trees produce coconuts,





Palm trees produce dates (the fruit, not the social interaction).