List of largest seeds
Appearance
![](http://up.wiki.x.io/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Female_coco_de_mer_seed.jpg/300px-Female_coco_de_mer_seed.jpg)
The largest seed in the world is the coco de mer,[1][2] the seed of a palm tree.[3] It can reach about 30 centimetres (12 inches) long, and weigh up to 18 kilograms (40 pounds). The coco de mer, which produces a giant, dark brown seed,[4] has been protected by the government of the Seychelles because of its rarity[5] – the tree can grow up to 31 m (102 ft) tall, with leaves measuring 6 m (20 ft) long and 3.6 m (12 ft) wide. Kigelia or "sausage seed" (botanical name Kigelia africana) can produce pods weighing up to 12 kg (26 lb), and 12–20 cm (4+1⁄2–8 in) long, but the pod contains seeds.
List
[edit]Other recorded largest seeds include:[6]
Seed | Image | Species | Family | Size in inches | Size in cm | Weight | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coco de mer | ![]() |
Lodoicea maldivica | Palm family (Arecaceae or Palmae) |
12 in | 30 cm | 18 kg (40 lbs) | The single largest Lodoicea seed found to date was one weighing 25 kg (55 lbs).[7] |
Coconut | ![]() |
Cocos nucifera | Palm family (Arecaceae or Palmae) |
6 inches | 15 cm | The Andaman Giant Coconut can have a weight of about 8 lbs (3.6 kg).[8] | |
Mora[9] | Mora oleifera or M. megistosperma | Senna family (Caesalpinaceae) |
7 in by 6 in by 3 in | 18 cm by 15 cm by 8 cm. | 2.2 lbs (1 kg)[10] | ||
East Indies Palmyra | ![]() |
Borassus sundaicus | Palm family (Arecaceae or Palmae) |
2.2 lbs (1 kg)[11] | |||
African Palmyra | Borassus aethiopum | Palm family (Arecaceae or Palmae) |
Up to 4.29 inches by 3.15 in by 2.24 in. | Up to 10.9 cm by 8 cm by 5.7 cm.[12] | |||
Caroline Ivory Palm | Metroxylon amicarum | Palm family (Arecaceae or Palmae) |
4.5 inch sphere | 11 cm sphere | 1 lb. 4 oz (560 grams)[13] | ||
Muli | Melocanna baccifera | Grass family (Graminae or Poaceae) |
3.9 inches long and nearly as wide.[14] | Ten cm long and nearly as wide. | 12.3 oz (350 grams)[15] | ||
Also called "Mora" | Mora excelsa | Senna family (Caesalpinaceae) |
5 in by 2.75 in. | 12.5 cm by 8 cm.[16] | 8.8 oz (250 grams)[17] | ||
Tea Mangrove [18] | Pelliciera rhizophorae | Tea or Camellia family (Theaceae) |
4 in sphere. | 10 cm sphere. | 7 oz (200 grams) | ||
Bornean ironwood, Belian var. "Tanduk" | Eusideroxylon zwageri variety exilis | Laurel family (Lauraceae) |
6.3 in by 2 in diam. | 160 mm by 5 cm diam.[19] | |||
Pohon Kira-kira | Xylocarpus granatum | Mahogany family (Meliaceae) |
Tetrahedral seeds four inches on a side. | Tetrahedral seeds 10 cm on a side.[20] | Also called "puzzlenut" because the nuts can be reassembled into a sphere. | ||
Chayote | ![]() |
Sechium edule | Squash family (Cucurbitaceae) |
4 in by 2.75 in by 1 in. | 10 cm by 7 cm by 2.5 cm.[21] | ||
Idiot fruit | Idiospermum australiense | Spicebush family (Calycanthaceae) |
3.1 in sphere. | 8 cm sphere.[22] | 7.9 oz. (225 grams)[23] | Very poisonous. | |
"Capucin". | Northia seychellana | Sapote Family (Sapotaceae) | 3.1 inches, and nearly as wide3. | 8 centimeters, and nearly as wide.[24] | weight not stated | ||
Avocado | ![]() |
Persea americana | Laurel family (Lauraceae) |
3 in | 7.6 cm | ||
Chuya | Pouteria speciosa | Sapote family (Sapotaceae) | 3.5 in long by 2.4 in thick. | 90 mm long by 60 mm thick.[25] | |||
Boko tree | Balanites wilsoniana | Balanitaceae | 3.46 in by 1.81 in diameter. | 8.8 cm by 4.7 cm diameter.[26] | |||
Pacó | Grias tessmannii | Monkeypot family (Lecythidaceae) |
3.2 in by 2.5 in.[27] | 8 cm by 6.5 cm. | |||
Cativo | Prioria copaifera | Senna family (Caesalpinaceae) |
Up to six ounces (170 grams)[28] | ||||
California buckeye | ![]() |
Aesculus californica | Horse chestnut family (Hippocastanaceae) | 2.88 in width, 2.63 in breadth and 2.13 in height.[29] | 7.32 cm width, 6.68 cm breadth and 5.41 cm height | 5 oz (140 grams) | This is the largest of all temperate (non-tropical) seeds. Poisonous. |
Provision tree, Guiana chestnut | Pachira aquatica | Kapok family (Bombcaceae) | Squarish seeds to 2.4 inches on a side. | Squarish seeds to 6.1 cm. on a side.[30] | |||
Elephant Creeper. | Entada phaseoloides | Mimosa family (Mimosaceae) |
2.8 in by 2.4 in by 1.0 in. | 71 mm by 61 mm by 25 mm.[31] | 2.1 oz. (60 grams) | ||
Tauari | Couratari macrosperma | Monkeypot family (Lecythidaceae) |
3.9 inches by 1.2 inches.[32] | 10 cm by 3 cm. | |||
Membrillo | Gustavia dodsonii | Monkeypot family (Lecythidaceae) |
2.9 inches by 2,25 inches. | 74 mm by 58 mm.[33] | |||
(no common name) | Macrozamia macdonnellii | Coontie family (Zamiaceae) |
3.2 inches by 2.2 inches. | 8 cm by 5.5 cm.[34] | The largest of all Gymnosperm seeds. | ||
Also called Tauari | Couratari longipedicellata | Monkeypot family (Lecythidaceae) | Four inches long by 0.9 inches wide. | 9.5 cm long by 2.3 cm wide.[35] | |||
(no common name) | Grias multinervia | Monkeypot family (Lecythidaceae) |
3 inches by 1.17 inches.[36] | 77 mm by 30 mm. | |||
Fatra | ![]() |
Cycas thouarsii | Sago palm family (Cycadaceae) |
2.75 inches by 2.3 inches. | 7 cm by 6 cm.[37] | Pachytesta incrassata of the Carboniferous deposits was up to 5 in by 2.5 in diam (12 cm by 6 cm diam.) and weighed about seven ounces (200 grams).[38] | |
Mango | Mangifera indica | Sumac family (Anacardiaceae) |
2-4 inches | ||||
Peach | ![]() |
Prunus persica | Rose family (Rosaceae) |
2 inches | 3 cm |
See also
[edit]- List of world records held by plants
- List of largest inflorescences
- List of superlative trees
- Seed
- Seedbed
References
[edit]- ^ Quest The World's Largest Seed Archived 2011-06-23 at the Wayback Machine A KQED Multimedia Series Exploring Northern California Science, Environment and Nature.
- ^ BGCI plants for the planet Our work Coco de Mer Archived 2019-02-06 at the Wayback Machine Investigate Coco de Mer on the BGCI Plant Search Database
- ^ Fruit trivia Coco de mer - Q
- ^ Britannica E. Coco de mer Double coconut
- ^ "Coco de Mer (Management) Decree | Seychelles Legal Information Institute". www.seylii.org. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
- ^ Jenifer Corr Morse (1 November 2011). Scholastic Book of World Records 2012. Scholastic Inc. pp. 202–. ISBN 978-0-545-33149-4. Retrieved 2012-04-22.
- ^ Blackmore, Stephen; Chin, See-Chung; Chong Seng, Lindsay; Christie, Frieda; Inches, Fiona; Winda Utami, Putri; Watherston, Neil; Wortley, Alexandra H. (2012). "Observations on the Morphology, Pollination and Cultivation of Coco de Mer (Lodoicea maldivica (J F Gmel.) Pers., Palmae)". Journal of Botany. 2012: 1–13. doi:10.1155/2012/687832.
- ^ K.P.V. Menon and K.M. Pandala, "The Coconut Palm - A Monograph" (Ernakulam, Kerala, India: The Indian Central Coconut Committee, 1958) pp. 96 & 98.
- ^ Elbert L. Little and Robert G. Dixon, "Arboles Communes de la Provincia de Esmereldas" (Rome: UNFAO, 1969) p. 222
- ^ Daniel H. Janzen, "Costa Rican Natural History", (Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press, 1983) p. 281.
- ^ Chris Gray, "The Townsville Palmetum", THE PALM JOURNAL # 175 (March 2004)p. 30.
- ^ "Borassus aethiopum Mart., Hist. Nat. Palm. 3: 221 (1838) | PALMweb".
- ^ James C. McCurrach, "Palms of the World" (Stuart, Fla.: Horticultural Books, Inc., 1980 reprint - orig 1960) p. 139.
- ^ "Melocanna baccifera Description". GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora. RBG Kew.[dead link]
- ^ Daniel H. Janzen, "Why do Bamboos Wait so Long to Flower?", ANN. REV. ECOL. SYST. Vol 7 (1974) p. 9.
- ^ Kew Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information # 8 (November 1, 1932) p. 397
- ^ Victor C. Quesner and T. Francis Farrell, "Native Trees of Trinidad and Tobago" (Port of Spain: T & T Field Naturalists Club, 2000) p. 86.
- ^ "Mangrove". Mangrove.at.
- ^ Yukitoshi Kimoto et al, "Embryology of Eusideroxylon...etc", BOTANICAL JOURNAL of the LINNEAN SOCIETY Vol. 150 # 2 (February 2006) p. 190.
- ^ Margaret Percival and John S. Womersley, "Floristics and Ecology of Mangrove Vegetation in Papua New Guinea", BOTANICAL BULLETIN # 8 (Lae: Dept. of Forests, 1975) p. 90.
- ^ Fayaz, Ahmed. Encyclopedia of Tropical Plants. Buffalo, N.Y.: Firefly Books. p. 451.
- ^ Franks, P. J. and P. L. Drake (2003). "Desiccation-induced loss of seed viability is associated with a 10-fold increase in CO(2) evolution in seeds of the rare tropical rainforest tree Idiospermum australiense." New Phytologist 159(1): 253-261.
- ^ Will Edwards; Paul Gadek; Ellen Weber; Stuart Worboys (June 2001). "Idiosyncratic phenomenon of regeneration from cotyledonsin the idiot fruit tree, Idiospermum australiense". Austral Ecology. 26 (3): 254. doi:10.1046/j.1442-9993.2001.01110.x. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
- ^ Wise, Rosemary (1998). A Fragile Eden. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. p. Plate No. 51 with caption.
- ^ Polak, A. M. (1992). Major Timber Trees of Guyana - A Field Guide. Wageningen, Netherlands: Tropenbos Foundation. pp. 156–157.
- ^ Chapman, Lauren J. (August 1992). "Balanites wilsoniana - Elephant dependent Dispersion?". Journal of Tropical Ecology. 8 (3): 275–283. doi:10.1017/S0266467400006519. S2CID 44759915.
- ^ Elbert L. Little and Robert G. Dixon, "Arboles Communes de la Provincia de Esmeraldes" (Rome: UNFAO, 1969) Illust p. 437 plus caption p. 436.
- ^ Dalling, J.W. (1997). "Seed Damage Tolerance and Seedling Resprouting...etc". Journal of Tropical Ecology. 13 (1): 481–490. doi:10.1017/S026646740001066X. S2CID 16969638.
- ^ Personal observations and measurements made in Riverside, California on November 27, 2015. This is the largest of all temperate (non-tropical) seeds.
- ^ Croat, Thomas B. (1978). Flora of Barro Colorado Island. Stanford, California: Stanford Univ. Press. pp. 589–591.
- ^ Dr. Jerry Sulivan, "The Godzilla Entada", THE DRIFTING SEED (May 2005 p. 10
- ^ Van Roosmalen, Marc (n.d.). ""Illustrated guide to the Fruits and seeds of the Amazonian Flora" p. 26". Retrieved 2007-04-04.
- ^ Flora Neotropica Volume 21 Part 1 (Lecythidaceae) (August 1979) p, 160.
- ^ Jessop, John (1981). Flora of Central Australia. Sydney: Reed Book Pty. Ltd. p. 14.
- ^ Van Roosmalen, Marc. "Illustrated Guide to the Fruits and Seeds of the Amazonian Flora". p. 22. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
- ^ Prance, Ghillian; Mori, Scott A. (15 August 1979). "Lecythidaceae". Flora Neotropica. 21: 199.
- ^ Robert K.F. Pilger, "Cycadaceae", NATURLICHEN PFLANZENFAMILIEN (Leipzig: Verlag von Wilhelm Engelmann, 1926) 2nd Auflage Band 13 p. 69.
- ^ "VIII Tamanos y Formas". Retrieved 2001-12-04.[dead link]
External links
[edit]- Coco de Mer Cerf Island