coconut tree
椰 refers specifically to the coconut tree, a tropical palm that produces coconuts.
椰 combines 木 (tree) with 耶, which likely contributes the sound ヤ. The character was created to represent the coconut tree.
The tree radical 木 beside 耶 points to a specific kind of tree: the coconut tree. Picture a palm tree with coconuts shaped like the right-side component.
For ヤ, imagine a coconut tree swaying and saying 'Yah!' as a coconut drops: Yah -> ヤ.
palm tree (any tree of family Arecaceae)
coconut palm (Cocos nucifera)
bottle palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis)
areca palm
sago palm (Metroxylon sagu)
parlour palm (Chamaedorea elegans); neanthe bella palm; neanthe palm; dwarf fan palm
nipa palm
palmyra (Borassus flabellifer)
Alexander palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae); Alexandra palm; king Alexander palm; king palm; northern bangalow palm
raffia palm (Raphia spp.)
Satake palm (Satakentia liukiuensis); Yaeyama palm
sea coconut (Lodoicea maldivica); coco de mer; double coconut
royal palm (esp. Cuban royal palm, Roystonea regia)
Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer); doub palm; toddy palm
date palm (Phoenix dactylifera); date
coconut crab (Birgus latro)
palmchat (Dulus dominicus)
palm cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus); goliath cockatoo; great black cockatoo
yehu (bowed Chinese instrument with a coconut-shell body)
oil palm (esp. the African oil palm, Elaeis guineensis)