Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-05-12
cocoANurs OF rHs SEA.
a Fruit which Grows only la the Islands
OF the Seychelles Group.

OF the Seychelles Group
The eoco-de-mer or double. cocoa.
nut palm tree is one Of the largest
and most remarkable palms. 1t Is q
native OF and only found ON u small
group OF islands called the Sey-
chelles. These form an archipelago
in almost the middle OF the Indian
ocean consisting OF about eighty
/ islands, Seychelles are the home oil
1 the so-called sea cocoanut or Maldive
I double cOcOauut the cOco-de-mcr II
1 is the fruit OF peculiar aad remark
ably fine species OF the palm tribe,
indigenous 10 and only found on
certain smaller islands Of the group,
and nowhere else IN the world.
BOtanists give il the name LOdolcea
Sehchellarum.
The fruit is "a large, double. oblong,
kidney shaped nut, covered with u
thin husk. After the removal of
this the fruit has tho appearance Of
two obong nuts firmly joined
together for over half their length,
and which often weighs from thirty
to forty pounds They are borne la
punches. each consisting Of nine or
ten nuts. 50 that whole bunch viii
often weigh 800 pounds. Ii takes
ten years TO rlpcn its fruit. the al
bumen Of which is similar In appear
ance and lines the inner surface Of
the nut, but. unlike that oi the com
mon cocoanut. Is too hard and horny
to serve AS food The she'll Is con
yerted into many useful and Orna.
mental articles by the island natives
But the most Important part i the
leaves. which are mate into hats
and baskets.
So great has tine demand been ot
late years Tor these that 10 obtain
them the trees were cat dOwn and,
no care being taken 10 extend new
plantations, Ia 1864 the leading bot
anist> in Eng land pet,tioued the gov
ernmeut for protection against this
wastelul destruction. Tor fear that
the slow growing, unique species
would eventually become extinct II
appears however from recent Ia
formation that In ono % those Islands
alone There are NANNY Thousand, 81 the
trees
1, is true that Tor many centuries
the i-utt 81 this palm tree wa,
known only from specimens ~ II.
which coating out 70 sea f.Om lhr
.s'aud. were boenc % and east apon
tho Ma.diyc and other coasts. the
island-. the home 81 tbc tree being
10 that period unknown ~ rare.
curious ANA my.tsFlou, 'rait wa,
hetd in high regard and csteomrd.
not only for a suppose cd religions
=,gui.'raunc bat in medicine 10 was
believed 90 BE- sovereign anlrlUtu
% poison Ftom 10 rarity Z com
inau'ird good price III tua Or.ent
The hWsk ~ the mat b, % black. rgn1
like substance, q quarter OF an snrh
thick Iuisr this is he'll -ome-
thing ID character aud thickness
like the ordinary edible rocoanut
The Eeruri 81 the uut limo. the ia.
tcricr d the shell ,ae thlekues# 81
abou, an Inch
Toe eOcu-dr mrr was OF old ue,
lIcgcI b Tho ,upo.st,ttuus Orjcutals
70 ba the lruit u some shbtnarlne
pagm tree Fare finds 81 such nuts
a. were thrown up on thc scashora
werc valued bj ihe Brahmiu and
liigdoo Iakirs or mcndirant priests,
who. cutting thcn apart. would dec
oratc tho polished halyrs with uauds
Oi carving III lUw relief 81 inscrip-
lion. from tho lIiudoo scriptures
Notuishcl, these formed valued and
sucrrd begging bowls. IN which men
dicant priest received aims u money
or food.