**The Tree**
The Coco de Mer (Lodoicea maldivica) is an endemic palm species found only on two tiny islands in the Seychelles. It’s a giant, with palm trees growing up to 165 feet (50 m) tall and having huge, fan-shaped leaves up to 33 feet (10 m) long.
**Unique Features**
The Coco de Mer has some extraordinary features:
1. **Giant Fruits**: The fruit can weigh up to 88 pounds (40 kg) and measure 1.6 feet (0.5 m) across, containing the world’s largest and heaviest seed.
2. **Island Gigantism**: The palm’s size is likely due to geographic isolation, which has allowed it to evolve without competition or predation pressure.
3. **Unusual Pollination**: The male trees produce catkins that may be pollinated by bees or lizards (the exact mechanism is still unknown).
4. **Long-Lived Seeds**: The seeds take 6-7 years to ripen and then another 2-3 years for the sprouting shoot to emerge.
**Conservation Status**
Unfortunately, the Coco de Mer is an endangered species due to harvesting, fires, introduced pests, and human development. Only around 8,000 individuals remain in the wild, making conservation efforts crucial to protect this remarkable tree.
**Fun Facts**
* The name “Coco de Mer” possibly comes from people seeing the huge seeds washed up on beaches or floating in the surf.
* In the past, royalty and nobility prized these seeds as a valuable collector’s item, often mounting them in gold.
* The Coco de Mer is now closely controlled by trade regulations, with only authorized permits allowing the sale of its seeds.
I hope this simplified text has helped you understand the fascinating story of the Coco de Mer!
Source: https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/plants/3-remarkable-trees-a-living-fossil-a-deadly-canopy-and-the-world-s-biggest-seeds-that-were-once-mounted-in-gold-by-royals