Coco de mer palm (Lodoicea maldivica) whose other name is double coconut is endemic to Praslin island and Curieuse island and is dioecious with separate male and female trees. The male flower has a catkin, up to 1 m long, which resembles a penis with small yellow flowers on it. The female coco de mer produces the largest and heaviest fruit in the world, which are 40-50 cm in diameter and weigh 15-30 kg. Their bi-lobed shapes are suggestive and remind us of a lady's backside in shape. The female plant requires 25 years to germinate and requires some 200 years to fully mature. The 30 m tall palms were standing in the Vallee de Mai National Park but we did not have enough time to walk around.
There is a legend that male and female Coco de mer have a rendezvous at night and people who witnessed this would be transformed into a Black Parrot, which is also an endemic bird on this island.
