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The coco de mer or the nut of the sea palm of the Seychelles is steeped in myths and legends. The nut of the sea is so named because mariners often found them floating in the Indian Ocean long before the discovery of the Seychelles in 1743. |
Legend has it that these nuts came from a huge tree far beneath the sea.The male and female seed structures occur on separate coco de mer palms. The giant palm trees that bear them are found on just two of the Seychelles Islands near Madagascar, making them one of the world's most exotic plants.
Incidentally, their creamy white meat was revered as an antidote to any poison, and their provocative shape earned them a reputation as a powerful aphrodisiac.
Unfortunately even the 'facts' about this unique and slow growing palm are not backed up by properly recorded scientific research, so there are numerous discrepancies in the biological statistics quoted. As more and more research is done on coco de mer palms, more facts may come to light about the plant considered as the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden.
There are male and female coco de mer palms. Male palms grow to about 30m high, female palm produces the largest seed in the world; it can weigh more than 20 kg. The seed is inside a husk and the fruit takes 6 to 7 years to ripen. After germination, the first leaf appears about one year later. It reaches maturity between 20 to 40 years. Female trees may carry very heavy loads of nuts. Coco de mer palms probably live for between 200 to 400 years.
