The largest seed in the world is the coco de mer, the seed of a palm tree. It can reach about 30 centimetres (12 inches) long, and weigh up to 18 kilograms (40 pounds). The coco de mer, which produces a giant, dark brown seed, has been protected by the government of the Seychelles because of its rarity – the tree can grow up to 31 m (102 ft) tall, with leaves measuring 6 m (20 ft) long and 3.6 m (12 ft) wide.
By Xjschx – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47977809Wikipedia
Lodoice a, commonly known as the sea coconut, coco de mer, or double coconut, is a monotypic genus in the palm family. The sole species, Lodoicea maldivica, is endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. It has the largest seed in the plant kingdom. It was also formerly found on the small islets of St Pierre, Chauve-Souris, and Ile Ronde (Round Island), all located near Praslin, but had become extinct there for a time until recently reintroduced.
The “Sweet Potato of the Skies” (we just made that up).
Species abstract
Mora oleifera is a coastal tree of limited distribution in Panama and Colombia. An example specific area of occurrence is the Gulf of Panama mangroves ecoregion, a locale of severe threat for the entire mangrove habitat of this region.
Common associates are Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans), White Mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa), Castaño (Montrichardia arborescens) and Mangle piñuelo (Pelliciera rhizophorae).
What can we say about coconuts that hasn’t already been said?
As Chuck Noland (as portrayed by Tom Hanks in Cast Away) said, “I couldn’t take much more of those coconuts. Coconut milk is a natural laxative. That’s something Gilligan never told us.”
That’s why there’s a 500 year old coconut in the National Museum of Iceland. The St. Nicholas Chalice is dated at about 1500 AD. It was a possession of the Church of St. Nicholas at Oddi, Iceland, a famous center of learning in Iceland from the 11th century. Bound in silver, embellished with gilt filigree and set with colored stones or equally valuable glass, the coconut in the St. Nicholas Chalice was used to commemorate the saints on holy days.
There was indeed at least one coconut in medieval Iceland.
