Lodoicea

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Lodoicea (double coconut; family Palmae) A monotypic palm genus (L. maldivica) that is endemic (see ENDEMISM) to the Seychelles, rare in the wild, and often cultivated. It is a huge fan palm, with a trunk up to 30m tall and leaves 3m or more long. It is dioecious. The inflorescences are unbranched, emerging through split leaf bases. Female flowers are 5cm across. The fruit is like a huge bilobed coconut 45cm long, weighing 14–22 kg, and containing 1 giant seed with a stony wall, the biggest seed in the world.

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