Seychelles
Coco de mer, wood and metal base
11 1/2″ wide x 6″ deep x 12″ high

It was once believed that the trees producing the Coco de Mer seed (the world’s largest, which commonly wash up on beaches) lived in forests at the bottom of the ocean. Later, once the terrestrial plant had been identified, some said that these monoecious trees with their suggestive male and female parts were shy lovers. Legend had it that the male uprooted itself at night to copulate with a female, and that any human who witnessed the intimate event would go blind.

The tree is very long-lived, often taking 50 years to flower, the seeds themselves maturing over years.

Height including stand is 15 3/4″.