Meet the World's Largest Nut, the Coco De Mer

"The coco de mer is a much-loved cultural and botanical classic of Seychelles," says Katy Beaver, a Seychelles plant specialist who has spent years researching the rare palm. The coco de mer, also known as the sea coconut or double coconut, is a curious case of island gigantism that contains the world's biggest and heaviest seeds.

Rare Seeds

The seed's alluring form has also attracted a lot of interest. The palm, which is shrouded in myths and mythology, grows naturally on only two of Seychelles' 115 islands: Praslin, the country's second-largest island after Mahé, and neighboring Curieuse. The plant is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list since only around 8,000 mature trees remain.

Coco de Mer Anatomy

The dioecious coco de mer palm has distinct male and female plants that can take up to 50 years to achieve sexual maturity, depending on environmental factors. Its prolonged growth rate has led to its endangered status. There was a flourishing black market for the shell before the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to smuggling in protected areas. Forest fires, irregular rains due to climate change, and rodents and disease are among the other dangers.

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Protecting the Seeds

Now, conservationists are appealing to the islanders for assistance in ensuring the palm's survival. Residents were encouraged to apply for permission to plant up to five coco de mer seeds on their land under a scheme that began last summer.

Our field workers noticed germinating coco de mer seeds being carefully removed from the ground outside Vallée de Mai, one of the nature reserves we run, at the start of the pandemic last year, says Dr. Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, CEO of the non-profit Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF).

Poachers were ruled out because there are better ways to steal the seeds, and with tourism on hold, the coco de mer shell, a popular tourist souvenir due to its provocative form, was no longer in demand. Fleischer-Dogley describes it as "the handiwork of someone who only wished to cultivate the coco de mer."

Poachers were ruled out because there are better ways to steal the seeds, and with tourism on hold, the coco de mer shell, a popular tourist souvenir due to its provocative form, was no longer in demand. Fleischer-Dogley describes it as "the handiwork of someone who only wished to cultivate the coco de mer."

The trade-in coco de mer nuts has been regulated by a permit scheme since 1978. The MACCE needs anybody who grows the palm on their land or exchanges the nut to be licensed. Each nut is assigned a number and registered. Even the coco de mer shells, which cost between 5,000 and 6,000 Seychellois rupees (roughly £170-£200) to visitors, need a permit.

Long Term Process

Since germination takes several months, SIF workers can check in on the planted seeds every six months and see how they're doing. "Not only have we registered the parcel number from the cadastral [a precise map of ownership], but we've also mentioned the GPS coordinates of where each seed is planted," Fleischer-Dogley says. If a nut doesn't germinate, we will fix it if the landowner requests it."

Because of the plant's slow growth rate, not all of the licensed property owners can see a coco de mer palm mature during their lifetime.

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