Royal aphrodisiac In the Late Medieval Period, European rulers coveted the erotically shaped seeds. They believed that the jelly inside the young fruits had aphrodisiac powers. After eating it, they made the hard shells into drinking cups, decorated with gold and silver. History books state that, in the 16th century, Hapsburg Emperor Rudolf II offered 4,000 gold florins for a single seed. “It’s illegal to eat the flesh now, because it kills the fruit and it never matures,” said Karina. “The jelly hardens after 10 months. Seeds need six to seven years to ripen inside the fruit.” Coco-de-mer palms don’t grow trunks until they’re 15 years old. By then, the palm fronds are taller than hydro poles. As we looked up to the tops of mature palms, we recognized their incredible strength. Some carried more than 20 fruits. “Have any fruits ever fallen on people?” we asked, suddenly aware of the explosive impact of 20-kilogram shells falling from such heights. “None have fallen on anyone’s head since 1966, when the nature reserve opened,” said Karina. “If our rangers see any fruits above the trail, they’ll remove them.” We resolved to stay on the red soil path. Adam’s apple In 1881, General Gordon of Khartoum proclaimed that the site was the biblical Garden of Eden, and that the coco-de-mer was the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge that seduced Adam and Eve. (If the voluptuously shaped fruit was Adam’s apple, Gordon didn’t explain how he bit through the thick, hard shell.) In addition to its coco-de-mer palms, Vallé de Mai is a haven for other endemic palms and trees. We examined a large fruit with green pebbly skin growing from a tree trunk. “It’s a jackfruit,” said Karina. “It tastes like a combination of mango and banana.” Near the end of our 90-minute walk, it began to rain. The coco-de-mer palm canopy above us was so dense that we didn’t get wet. The downpour sounded like raindrops hitting a tin roof. “To prevent poaching and counterfeit sales, the government now issues export permits to sell only coco-de-mer seeds identified by holographic tags,” said Karina. “Be prepared to pay a hefty price, based on the size and quality – and keep in mind your luggage weight allowance.” After riding a ferry 45 kilometres southwest toMahé, we discovered a famous coco-de-mer palm in Victoria, the capital. In 1956, Prince Philip planted it in the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens. A fine specimen today, it towered over us like a giant green feather duster stood on end. Travel Coco-de-mer palm planted by Prince Philip in the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens Jackfruit grows from tree trunk in Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, Praslin 18 | www.snowbirds.org
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