Which Two Fruits Grow on Palm Trees?

If you're wondering which two fruits grow on palm trees, chances are you're familiar with the beautiful, unique palm which is a staple of the scenery in any warm, tropical climate. It's certainly true edible fruits grow on palm trees, but sometimes people are confused as to which exactly those might be.

The answer, though, is simple and interesting, too.

Coconuts

The coconut palm is grown throughout the tropical regions, with the vast majority located in India and the Middle East. It is one of the most famous types of palm trees due to the popularity and widespread use of the coconut fruit. Technically, the coconut is what is called a drupe, not a true nut. But when the question is posed, "which two fruits grow on palm trees?" coconuts are a viable answer because they are, biologically speaking, a fruit. The coconut's various parts are used in all kinds of ways:

The "nut" of the coconut provides oil, which is used for cooking and making margarine.
The "meat" of the coconut, which is the white flesh inside, can be cooked, eaten directly, or dried.
The cavity of the coconut is filled with "coconut water," which contains a large amount of sugar, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and is an excellent nutritious drink.
The meat of the coconut can be pressed for its juice, referred to as coconut milk, which is a healthy drink and can also be used in cooking.
The hard coconut shell is often used to make things, from bowls to buttons.
The flowers of a coconut bloom produce a sap, which can be used as a drink; it can also be fermented to produce "palm wine."
The buds of the coconut blooms are also edible and are known as heart-of-palm. They are a rare delicacy and often used in high-end culinary recipes.

Dates

Perhaps lesser known than coconuts but no less widespread or useful, dates are a sweet, fiber-filled fruit grown on certain types of palm trees, known as date palms. Date palms are specially cultivated for the fruit and probably originated around the Persian Gulf, although today they are grown anywhere the climate is suitable due to their desirability. Dates have been a food staple in the Middle East for centuries and are mentioned often in the Bible. The fruit has multiple uses, both as food and otherwise:

Dates may be eaten, fresh or dried; they may also be pitted and stuffed with various fillings to make delicacies.
Multiple puddings and desserts, particularly those of Middle Eastern origin, contain chopped dates, sometimes glazed with glucose syrups.
Dates are popular in the U.S. as a holiday food, often baked into breads along with nuts, cinnamon, and other traditional ingredients. Their sweet flavor is nicely balanced by the richness of the spices.
Date juice is used in some Islamic areas as a form of non-alcoholic champagne.
The seeds of the date can be ground up and used as cheap animal food.
Date oil is often used in soap and cosmetics and requires little chemical processing, making it cheap and natural.
Date seeds may be burned in place of charcoal or even used as an additive to coffee beans to enrich the flavor of coffee and stretch the beans to make more volume.
The high tannin content of dates allows for their use in many traditional medicines; they have a natural cleansing and astringent power and can be used for everything from sore throats to colds and fever.
The sap of the date palm tree may be used to make special syrup that adds sweetness to foods and recipes.
The leaves of the date palm tree are perhaps best-known for their use during Palm Sunday in Christian tradition. They are also used in North Africa for making sheltering huts; their large size, waterproof nature, and durability make them suitable for everything from basket-weaving to fans.
The wood of date palm trees is very light and can be used for crafts as well as making things such as decorative structures (posts, railings, etc.) to actual infrastructures such as bridges. It is easy to carry and cut and withstands weather well, although it's not the most durable of woods. Extra wood may also be burned for fuel.

Coconuts and dates are the two most common answers to the question "which two fruits grow on palm trees?" Other types of palm fruits grown on other types of palm trees are, in fact, edible, and some have multiple uses, but no two are as popular or as widespread as coconuts and dates and no two have made their way so successfully into our daily culture with such wide-spread methods of use.