The Tree of life

摘要

The coconut palm, to a tropical expatriate, is a powerful symbol of home. Its image - perhaps glimpsed in a magazine or someone's holiday snaps - will usually trigger a moment of wistfulness, maybe even memories of an incredible reliance on those graceful trees. They not only provided us with food, drink and other key essentials, but also kept our economies afloat. If the overseas prices for coconut products fell, our governments usually fell with them.