Coco de mer or double cocoa-nut, the fruit of a species of palm.
The 'double cocoa-nut' is the largest fruit known and takes years to attain maturity. This palm has the longest leaves and the largest and heaviest seeds of any plant in the world.The palm grows to 25 – 34 m tall, and the flowers can reach 1m in length. The fruit grows to 40 – 50 cm in diameter, and weighs 15 – 30kg.
In centuries past the coconuts that fell from the trees and ended up in the sea would be carried away westwards by the prevailing sea currents. The nuts can only float after the germination process, when they are hollow. In this way many drifted to the Maldives where they were gathered from the beaches and valued as an important trade and medicinal item.
