A farmer was stunned after finding a banana tree sprouting from a coconut.

Khun Ake, 59, noticed the bizarre plant in his garden in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand, on Monday (16/09).

The sprout was around 2ft tall and had six large green leaves with a shoot bursting through the top of the brown shell.

Unlike palm leaves which are long, thin and with veins running lengthways, this plant had wide, floppy banana plant leaves with veins running horizontally.

Ake took the plant inside his house to inspect it - and protect it in case it's a lucky tree. He said that he believes the coconut had fallen from the tree in his back garden around two weeks ago.

Ake added: "I always leave the fallen coconuts on the same spot they land because eventually they will grow to be another coconut tree.

"I did the same with this coconut but I was surprised when the sprouts appeared so I carried it inside and let my neighbourhood help me inspect it."

Government officials visited the village to give their own ideas.

Head of the region's agriculture department, Somchok Na Nakhon, said that it's biologically impossible to have a banana tree growing from a coconut.

He said: "Logically, this cannot happen, so I think that some bird might fly by and drop its excrement that contained banana seeds onto coconut shell.''