147. The Big Bum Coconut

Fruit come in all shapes and sizes, no sizes greater however, than that of the Coco de Mer. This bizarre fruit is both rare and exotic, with more than a passing resemblance to a pair of buttocks, earning it the nickname of the ‘Bum nut’ This curiosity is only found on two islands in the Seychelles, Praslin and Cureuse. Also known as the ‘Seychelles Coconut’ it requires 7 years to mature and then another 2 to germinate.

Once it is finished with all of its growth it reaches phenomenal weights, the heaviest one weighed reached 42kg  the largest weight of any fruit ever recorded. Behind this also lies a small mythology, it’s latin name Lodoicea callipyge means in part ‘beautiful rump’ after sailors who saw the mysterious double coconut thought it resembled a pair of disembodied woman’s buttocks.Until the trees were found to be the source in 1768,  people believed their source to be a mythical tree at the bottom of the sea.                  

The fruit itself became a curiosity in the mean time before the source was discovered, European collectors paid great sums of money for these nuts. They then proceeded to have the shells polished and often adorned with jewels before being mounted in private galleries. This practice has lost some of its former popularity in recent years, however if you ever happen upon a fairly sizeable, and rather well polished pair of buttocks on display in a gallery, be aware that it is natural, crafted over 9 years by nature. At least you can be sure it wasn’t a half-assed job.