A unique variety of palm grows on the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. The coco de mer, or sea palm (Lodoicea maldivica), has a slender trunk that reaches 30 meters in height. Leaves grow densely at the top, and the crown can be up to five meters in radius. Mature trees often have fringed leaves at the tips. Dry edges of leaves hang under the crown of a palm tree.
An ordinary palm tree, you say. But the most interesting thing about coco de mer is its huge seeds. These are the largest and heaviest seeds in the entire flora. And this is also not the most unusual thing. The very shape of these seeds, which has made the palm tree famous throughout the world, is unusual: it is very reminiscent of a woman’s buttocks. Coco de mer used to have a different scientific name - Lodoicea callipyge, where callipyge in Greek means "beautiful buttocks".
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More legends and mysteries surround the coco de mer than any other tree in the world. Centuries ago, before the Seychelles were discovered and settled, coco de mer nuts washed up on distant shores such as the Maldives, where such palms were unknown. There they were collected from the beaches and sold to other countries. Because of unusual shape and size, this nut was considered an object with powerful aphrodisiac properties. Because it was sold in the Maldives, it was called the Maldivian coconut. This fact is reflected in the current scientific name coco de mer - Lodoicea maldivica.
This is what the inflorescence of a male coco de mer plant looks like.
If the coco de mer fruit falls into the sea, due to its weight and density, it sinks to the bottom. When a coconut sits at the bottom for enough time, its shell becomes eroded and falls off. The inside of the nut decomposes, and the gases that are formed during decomposition cause the hollow nut to float to the surface of the water. Many sailors saw these nuts floating from the bottom and thought that they grew on underwater trees in the forest at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. This belief gave the nut its name - coco de mer, which in French means “sea coconut”.
In ancient times, coco de mer nuts were very valuable, and all nuts found in the ocean and on the beaches automatically became the property of the king, who sold them at very high prices. high price or gave as honorary and expensive gifts. Middle Eastern princes and even Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II were willing to pay a fortune for these rare treasures.
Around the 18th century, it was discovered that this nut grows in the Seychelles. When researchers landed in the homeland of this unusual palm tree, they discovered another surprise. Unlike the common coconut tree, the coco de mer has male and female trees. A nut shaped like a woman's buttocks produces a female tree, and a male tree has inflorescences that closely resemble the male reproductive organ.
This similarity gave rise to a legend: on dark, stormy nights, when no one is looking, trees move their roots to merge with each other in ecstasy. According to legend, anyone who sees trees making love will either die or go blind. To this day, scientists do not fully understand how coco de mer pollination occurs, and this adds even more mystery to the sea palm.
When British Army Major General Charles George Gordon landed on Praslin in 1881, he was convinced he had found the biblical Garden of Eden. A devout British believer, seeing the shape of the coco de mer fruit, became convinced that this was the same forbidden fruit that Eve offered to Adam.
The amazing coco de mer plant today holds five botanical records. Firstly, it is the largest fruit in the world, growing in wildlife: its weight reaches 42 kg. Secondly, the seeds of this palm tree weigh up to 17.6 kg and are also considered the heaviest seeds in the world. Thirdly, coco de mer has the longest among known to science cotyledon, which reaches four meters. Fourthly, female flowers- the largest among palm trees. In addition, this plant is the most efficient at obtaining nutrients from its own dead leaves.
And fragrant ylang-ylang, which provides raw materials for the perfume industry... - you name it. Izvestia 3. 2. 1989. Under the skin of a young nut there is pulp similar to. Old nuts are hard and tasteless. But in general, sea fish are almost never eaten; they are used only for making Coco-de-mer. Around the World 1996 3 32.
Historical dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian language. - M.: Dictionary publishing house ETS http://www.ets.ru/pg/r/dict/gall_dict.htm. Nikolai Ivanovich Epishkin [email protected] . 2010 .
See what "coco de mer" is in other dictionaries:
Deauville-sur-Mer- (Deauville sur Mer), seaside climatic resort in France, on the shores of the English Channel, southwest of Le Havre. How the resort is developing since the second half of the 19th century V. Tourism, equestrian and sailing center. * * * DAUVILLE SUR MER DAUVILLE SUR MER... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Seychelles- 1) group about WWII Indian Ocean to the northeast from about. Madagascar; territory of the state of Seychelles Islands. Portugues are open. seafarers at the beginning of the 16th century. and they are called the Seven Sisters, sisters because they are Portuguese. ilha island female kind, and seven is used as... ... Geographical encyclopedia
Seychelles
Republic of Seychelles- Coordinates: 7°06′00″ S. w. 52°46′00″ E. Longitude / 7.1°S w. 52.766667° E. d. ... Wikipedia
Republic of Seychelles- Coordinates: 7°06′00″ S. w. 52°46′00″ E. Longitude / 7.1°S w. 52.766667° E. d. ... Wikipedia
Seychelles- Coordinates: 7°06′00″ S. w. 52°46′00″ E. Longitude / 7.1°S w. 52.766667° E. d. ... Wikipedia
YLANG YLANG, ILAN ZHILAN a, m. ilang Ilang, ylang ylang m. A tree grown in Indonesia and Madagascar, the fragrant flowers are used in perfumes. From his skinny figure, pimply face, hair, exquisite clothes and cambric scarves... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language
Aya, oh. parfumerie f. Rel. to perfumery. BAS 1. The famous coco de mer palm tree, whose giant fruits resemble a woman’s torso, and the fragrant ylang ylang, which provides raw materials for the perfume industry... vanilla, you can’t list everything. Izvestia 3. 2.… … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language
I. TORS a, m. torse, it. torso. 1. Human torso. ALS 1. Artists have a torso, a human body, without limbs. Dahl. In the middle of the fortress square, I found a pile of marble fragments dug up in the surrounding area, between which I noticed a colossal Torso,... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language
Books
- Time. Events. People. Great Mysteries of Nature (audiobook MP3), . Today all printed publications are full of sensational articles about all kinds of unusual phenomena and miracles, which are often, alas, based only on the idle speculation of their authors. Sometimes in search...
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Coco de mer (Sea nut) is a double-fruited nut that grows on a protected Seychelles palm tree and is one of the largest in the world. Palm fruits weigh from 10 to 25 kilograms and have a diameter of more than a meter, and on one tree there can be about 70 such nuts. The nut reaches its maturity in the sixth year of life.
How does Coco-de-mer nut grow?
Coco de mer is often called a double-fruited coconut, but this nut is not at all. The unusual nut grows on the fan palm, which is either male or female, while the coconut is the fruit of the pinnate palm, the tree of which is bisexual. The Seychelles nut has a smooth, two-centimetre-thick, brown outer skin that cracks and falls off. Inside is another thick, yellow-greenish shell, consisting of several lobes. Most often, the fetus consists of two lobes, sometimes three and very rarely six.
The nut reaches its maximum size at 10-12 months and it is at this time that the people of the Seychelles eat it. Inside the nut there is almost colorless and tasteless pulp, sometimes with a nutty taste, which resembles jelly in consistency. After a year, this pulp gradually begins to harden and turns into tissue that resembles ivory. For residents of the Seychelles, the jelly-like pulp is a real delicacy.
For centuries, Coco de mer has been an intriguing calorizator. The nut sinks in water, but after the top peel falls off and the insides rot, it floats.
Myths and legends about Coco de mer nuts
Back in the Middle Ages, long before the discovery of the Seychelles, people living in India, Malaysia, the Maldives and Ceylon learned about these wonderful and unusual nuts. Huge nuts of unusual shape were carried to the shores of the Indian Ocean by sea currents. People overwhelmed by the size and appearance fruits, attributed their origin to the divine will. They thought that nuts grew in underwater gardens at the bottom of the ocean and had miraculous powers, and when divers tried to find these gardens, they disappeared.
The myths and legends that shrouded Seychelles nuts turned them into a powerful and very expensive talisman, a talisman against all troubles and a cure for all diseases, as well as an antidote for all types of poisons. Simple people did not have the right to possess this nut; if they found Coco-de-mer and did not report their find, their hands were cut off.
In the 17th century, all myths were dispelled after the discovery of the island of Pralene, on which Seychelles palm trees grow. This discovery immediately reduced the price of nuts. Coco de mer is currently available freely in Bombay, Singapore and Karachi.
Calorie content of Seychelles Coco de mer nut
The calorie content of the Seychelles Coco-de-mer nut is 354 kcal per 100 grams of product.
Seychelles nut (Sea coconut, Coco de mer, Maldives nut)
The most famous endemic of Seychelles is the fruit of the Maldivian fan palm (Lodoicea maldivica).
The girth of this “nut” reaches almost a meter, the length is more than half a meter, and the weight is over 25 kilograms. It is called differently: double coconut, sea coconut - Coco de mer, Maldivian or Seychelles nut. However, the fruit is amazing not only in size, but also in shape: its two fused lobes strikingly resemble naked female buttocks.
Botanists are unanimous that the Seychelles palm, which produces giant seeds, is as magnificent a phenomenon in the plant world as the Californian sequoia, African baobab or Lebanese cedar. However, they wonder why it is growing so slowly. The first sprout from a seed placed in the soil appears only after a year. For my long life(and this is about 800 years old) the tree reaches a height of 30 meters, but gains the first 10 meters only at two hundred years of age. It begins to bear fruit in the 25th year of life.
Unlike many other types of palm trees, Lodoicea has heterosexual trees. After pollination, the ovary female flower develops into a double drupe covered with a thick green skin. It takes 7 to 10 years for the fruit to fully mature. Fresh nuts heavier than water; Once in the depths of the sea, they drown and lose the ability to germinate, therefore they cannot be dispersed by sea currents to other continents, like the fruits of the Cocos nucifera palm tree (see “Science and Life” No. 3, 2006).
In the Middle Ages, news of fabulous giant nuts wandered across the vast Indo-Arabian-African spaces, passed from mouth to mouth. People did not immediately determine which plant brought them. Dead nuts, carried over vast distances by ocean waves, have been found in coastal zone Maldives, on the southwest coast of India, Sumatra and Java. Since they were never seen growing on the shore, the belief arose that they grew on trees that were swallowed up by the sea (hence the name "sea coconut").
In those days, coco de mer cost a fortune. For each fruit they gave as much gold as could fit in its shell. And all because doctors and healers, who tried to understand the contents of the skillfully hewn gift of nature, unanimously reached a verdict: it is very useful, eliminates illnesses like no other medicine, effectively increases the sexual capabilities of men. It is also widely believed that sea coconut is an indispensable remedy against poisons, colic, paralysis, epilepsy, numerous nervous diseases, and intestinal diseases that cause vomiting. In the form of a potion, they began to make water infused on the shell with the addition of almonds, and a tonic drink was made from the white and pink juice of young nuts.
In the Maldives, tribal leaders declared in advance all the “coconuts of love” that arrived here as their own and promised to mercilessly cut off the hands of anyone who dared to hide the find.
Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II of Austria announced at the end of the 16th century that he would give 4,000 gold florins for one nut. The owners of the nut were not seduced by the price and refused it. Rudolf II eventually managed to acquire a goblet made from the shell of a sea coconut.
In the 17th century, Maldivian nuts came to Russia, but only the king could buy them, paying with precious sables. Carvers made brats, ladles, and aromatic bowls from nut shells.
In the middle of the 18th century, when the French discovered a protected palm tree on the Seychelles island of Praslin, in the Valley de Maye valley, the mystery of the mysterious nuts was solved.
Today, the fan palm plantation in the said valley has about 4,000 trees and covers an area of 20 hectares. It is said that up to 3,000 nuts are collected here per year (one palm tree brings a maximum of 30). Each fruit is numbered, but it can only be exported if there is a certificate indicating that the nut was purchased from an official seller. The price for an exotic product is from 250 to 300 dollars, large specimens are sometimes several times more expensive. Souvenir cabinets and boxes are made from whole nuts. From small parts, local craftsmen make “Praslen faience” - scoops, bowls, plates, flasks and other rather elegant crafts.
The sea coconut as a symbol and talisman in the Seychelles is unrivaled. It is crowned with the Independence Monument. The “mother” of the nut - a slender, tall palm tree - is placed on the coat of arms of the republic, surrounded by fish, a turtle and a bird.
Coco de mer, or sea walnut, is one of the most outlandish fruits on the planet. For a long time the origin of the giant fruits remained a mystery. They were found in the Indian Ocean, so a legend soon appeared that these nuts grow on seabed in the Divine Garden. Famous rulers dreamed of owning unusual coconuts - Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor, offered a fortune for this treasure!
Coco de mer palms grow only on Seychelles There is no other plant like this anywhere in the world. The trees reach a height of 30 meters, each can grow up to 70 nuts. By the way, the weight of the fruit is also unprecedented - from 10 to 25 kg! Caretakers caring for palm trees only wear safety helmets to work, since falling fruit can not only injure, but also kill. True, they say that the fruits fall only at night.
The nut ripens for seven years on a “female” palm tree, while “male” ones grow nearby - they are easy to identify by their pronounced sexual characteristics. Scientists are still struggling with the mystery of how the pollination process occurs, but they have not been able to find a clear answer. The age of Seychelles palm trees is also a mystery; trees are believed to live for at least five centuries.
Local residents value coco de mer for its unique qualities: it is credited with medicinal properties, and they also claim that it is a powerful aphrodisiac. The flesh of these coconuts is eaten while they are not yet ripe - after about a year, when the fruit has already grown to its maximum. Inside the coconut is a jelly-like mass, almost tasteless to us. Gradually it hardens and resembles ivory in its properties and color.
For a long time, the origin of nuts was considered a mystery. Ripe coconuts fell into the water and drowned due to their heavy weight, and then floated up when the insides rotted. The current carried the strange nuts to the Maldives, where they were caught from the water or found on the coast. It is interesting that all the nuts found were considered the property of the king, and if they learned that someone had hidden the find, the attacker’s hands were cut off.
One of the first expeditions to land on the island of Praslin was led by British General Charles George Gordon. When he saw the coco de mer palm trees, he believed that he had found the biblical Eden. Gordon seriously believed that the unusual coconuts were the forbidden fruit that Eve offered to Adam.
Coco de mer trees today are record holders in five botanical “categories” at once: these trees have the heaviest fruits in the world, sometimes weighing up to 42 kg (among wild plants), coco de mer seeds are also the heaviest (up to 17.6 kg), they have maximum size cotyledons (up to 4 meters), flowers on female trees- more than all other palms, and this plant is also the most efficient at restoring nutrients from dying leaves.
Interestingly, where these palm trees grow, there is practically no chance for other plants to survive. These giants completely block the light for other weaker shoots, and also absorb all the moisture during rains. By the way, new trees grow next to the mother tree, because it is simply impossible to “scatter” 20-kilogram coconuts.
Coco de mer is a natural curiosity, but from our review you can learn about fruits and vegetables bred through the process of human selection. And the breeders have more than enough imagination: there is a purple tomato with the smell of lemon, and snow-white strawberries with a pineapple taste.
Based on materials from amusingplanet.com
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