COCO DE MER 20th century

COCO DE MER
20th century, Seychelles, a coco de mer seed carved as a basket,
37cm wide

The coco de mer tree is a rare species of palm tree native to the Seychelles which is the subject of various legends. Before the Seychelles were settled, nuts, of this species were sometimes carried by the ocean currents to distant shores, such as those of the Maldives, where the tree was unknown. These floating nuts did not germinate.