# Fruit doesn't fall too far from the tree... does it ever? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 25, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129 "2004-02-25T16:44:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kansas\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/1 "2004-02-25T16:44:16Z")
They say that the fruit doesn’t fall too far from the tree. But Are there trees where the fruit _does_ fall far from the tree? ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/2 "2004-02-25T16:47:38Z")
Supposedly coconuts are designed to roll into the sea and float somewhere fertile. Don’t know if it’s true or not though. ---
**Author:** ![Achilles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dc4da7/32.png) [@Achilles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achilles)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/3 "2004-02-25T16:58:03Z")
If you’re thinking of the brown hairy type of coconut that you get at halloween, unfortunately that’s wrong. _That_ coconut is the nut of a big greenish bastard of an inedible fruit. This however, is designed to float to other islands et cetera. As for the rolling part - I don’t think so. Not especially anyway - it’s no rounder than a beef tomato, and certainly a lot less round than a grape, say - neither of which are designed to “roll”. Couple this with the fact that these Coconut fruit would fall on a beach or sandy soil, and the chances that they would roll are very slim indeed. As for the op, the only instance I can think of is where a bird will eat the fruit of a tree / bush and then poop the remains miles away. But I’m pretty sure that this is not what is meant. Finally, if there was a situation where this was true, and the fruit did fall far from the tree, then the saying wouldn’t be as good - it means that fruit **cannot** fall far from a tree, therefore someones offspring will turn out quite like them… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/4 "2004-02-25T16:58:06Z")
Sycamore seeds and other winged seeds such as elm and birch are technically ‘fruits’ (or contain fruits) - these are adapted so that gentle winds are likely to carry them away from the tree, other trees (Poplars, I think) employ cottony fluff for much the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/5 "2004-02-25T17:22:59Z")
Depending on the species and the environment, it may not be ideal (for either the offspring or the parent) to have a sprout in the vicinity of the parent plant. Out of such circumstances have evolved a plethora of [seed dispersal mechanisms](http://www.zephyrus.co.uk/seeddispersal1.html) (A children’s site, I believe. Not very scientific, but hey…it works) So even if the fruit does not fall far from the tree, if it is tasty enough, sticky enough, aerodynamic enough, or buoyant enough…it might not stay there long. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/6 "2004-02-25T20:23:04Z")
Fruit falling from the branches of a tree overhanging a large canyon or cliff would fall pretty far from the tree. Q.E.D. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/7 "2004-02-25T20:40:29Z")
> [@Achilles](#): > > _That_ coconut is the nut of a big greenish bastard of an inedible fruit. Green coconuts are very edible, and delicious too! When I visited Tahiti, my host was very adept at whacking off the crown of a green coconut with a machete, then fashioning a spoon out of the top. The flesh within is translucent and gelatinous, and very sweet. I ate green coconut every day for over a week (and gained about seven pounds!). ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/8 "2004-02-26T00:05:28Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Green coconuts are very edible, and delicious too! When I visited Tahiti, my host was very adept at whacking off the crown of a green coconut with a machete, then fashioning a spoon out of the top. The flesh within is translucent and gelatinous, and very sweet. I ate green coconut every day for over a week (and gained about seven pounds!). The liquid inside is also good. In Brasil they would slice the top off and give you a straw. When you finished drinking it they’d cur it open and give the the spoon you described… ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/9 "2004-02-26T00:21:29Z")
> [@Achilles](#): > > If you’re thinking of the brown hairy type of coconut that you get at halloween, 😕 How odd! We get pumpkins here. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/10 "2004-02-26T00:29:53Z")
I just assumed that Achilles’ Halloween costume was always the same…and consists of a coconut bra and a grass skirt. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/11 "2004-02-26T03:50:32Z")
> [@Shade](#): > > Supposedly coconuts are designed to roll into the sea and float somewhere fertile. Don’t know if it’s true or not though. Are you saying coconuts migrate? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/12 "2004-02-26T04:19:02Z")
> [@peter morris](#): > > Are you saying coconuts migrate? Not without the help of a swallow. ---
**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/13 "2004-02-26T06:37:16Z")
Does it count if the fruit goes through the bowels of an animal first? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/14 "2004-02-26T06:42:06Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Q.E.D. Yes? ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/15 "2004-02-26T06:44:13Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Not without the help of a swallow. African or European? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2004, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fruit-doesnt-fall-too-far-from-the-tree-does-it-ever/231129/16 "2004-02-26T11:18:13Z")
> [@Achilles](#): > > If you’re thinking of the brown hairy type of coconut that you get at halloween, unfortunately that’s wrong. _That_ coconut is the nut of a big greenish bastard of an inedible fruit. This however, is designed to float to other islands et cetera. As for the rolling part - I don’t think so. Not especially anyway - it’s no rounder than a beef tomato, and certainly a lot less round than a grape, say - neither of which are designed to “roll”. Couple this with the fact that these Coconut fruit would fall on a beach or sandy soil, and the chances that they would roll are very slim indeed. It is my impression (from various documentaries, picture postcards etc) that coconut trees near the shoreline tend to lean out toward the water (presumably some kind of tropism caused by environmental factors such as prevailing winds etc) - if this is the case, then the coconuts would be quite likely to fall on the beach where a high tide would lift them.