Coco de Mer Nut

This particular Coco de Mer nut is an exemplary specimen, near perfect in its form.
Seychelles, circa 1900

Height: 29 cms (11.5 ins)
Width: 30 cms (11.7 ins)
Depth: 16 cms (6.3 ins)

The Coco de Mer, a rare species of palm native to the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean, is a natural wonder. Its nut and tree are endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse, where they have become the subject of various legends and lore. Before the Seychelles were settled, the floating nuts occasionally drifted to distant shores, such as the Maldives, where the tree itself was unknown. These floating nuts, however, did not germinate.

The Coco de Mer’s exceptional size and suggestive shape, along with the unique circumstances surrounding its discovery, have inspired numerous myths. Ancient sailors, when they first encountered the large nuts floating at sea, famously named them coco de mer, meaning “coconuts of the sea” in French. Starved of female company during long voyages, they noted the nut’s striking resemblance to the human female pelvic area, which only added to its mystique.