Lodoicea maldivica

When European sailors recovered the first of these giant seeds floating in the Indian Ocean they were thought to be produced by plants growing below the sea. Later, their origin was believed to be the Maldives Islands south of India from where they got their name. Today, it is well known that a tall, sturdy fan palm with a thick trunk and stiff, costapalmate leaves, native only to two islands in the Seychelles, produces these gigantic nuts, the largest seed of any plant, weighing between about 5 and over 20kg. The seed is not very difficult to germinate but it produces a very long "sinker" that anchors the base of the palm and the first leaf deep into the soil. It thus needs a very tall container or should best be planted directly in the ground in its permanent position. The first leaf takes many months to appear and subsequent growth is very slow. Despite these drawbacks, this palm has always been much sought after. Viable seeds have always been in short supply and are now nearly impossible to obtain because the endosperm (the "seed") of nuts originating in the Seychelles is listed on CITES and banned from international trade without proper permits. The reason for this is not the plant trade, but the superstitious use of the endosperm as an aphrodisiac in Asia. Despite the protection measures, illegal trade in Lodoicea seeds is still flourishing and thinly shaved endosperm slices are readily available in shops in Hongkong and elswhere at astronomical prices. At the same time, very few nuts still get to germinate in situ in its natural habitat in the Seychelles and the wild stands are showing signs of aging.