One of the world's rarest seeds comes to Reading

Thursday, 02 February 2012

Dr Alistair Culham takes possession of the Coco de Mer nut from Mr Bob Jenner OBE

ÔÇÿWe are delighted to add this extremely rare specimen to the 300,000 other examples in our HerbariumÔÇÖ Dr Alistair Culham, Curator of the University of Reading Herbarium

Curator of the University of Reading Herbarium (RNG), Dr Alastair Culham, was delighted to take possession of one of the rarest seeds in the world recently - that of the Coco de Mer plant.

The mature fruit of the Coco de Mer palm is 40-50 cm in diameter, weighs 15-30 kg, and contains the largest seed in the plant kingdom.

Mr Bob Jenner OBE, who now lives in Overton, Hampshire spent four years in the Seychelles as a British Diplomat working closely with the government there. On leaving the Islands in 1992, as a token of the high esteem in which he was held, the Seychelles Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented Bob with one of their very rare Coco de Mer seeds.

Seychelles is a living museum of natural history and a sanctuary for some of the rarest species of flora and fauna on earth. It is home to the only two remaining wild populations of the Coco de Mer plant (also known as the double coconut).

"It was during a visit to the Eden Project in Cornwall that I saw the University of Reading's involvement with the conservation of the Coco de Mer plant in the Seychelles;" said Bob.

"It was then that my wife and I decided that attractive and unusual as it is, the nut does not serve any real purpose in our home apart from evoking distant memories, and so I wondered if it would be of any use to the University."

Dr Culham said; "We are delighted to add this extremely rare specimen to the 300,000 other examples of flowering plants, conifers, ferns, seeds and other flora in our Herbarium. It will be invaluable in engaging our students in the importance of conservation and plant diversity." He has already used it as an example in a Red Listing workshop with MSc students.

"The University has been involved in plant conservation in the Seychelles for many years now and it seems very fitting that this rare specimen has found its way from the Indian Ocean to the University."