When most people think of seeds, they think of tiny things to plant in the soil. But seeds come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny poppyseeds people enjoy on their bagels, to massive coconuts. The smallest seed in the world belongs to a tropical orchid. They are so small that you could line
When most people think of seeds, they think of tiny things to plant in the soil. But seeds come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny poppyseeds people enjoy on their bagels, to massive coconuts.
The smallest seed in the world belongs to a tropical orchid. They are so small that you could line 6 or 8 of them up along the top of a grain of salt!
The biggest seed in the world is actually related to a coconut! It comes from a palm tree, just like a coconut does. It’s called the coco de mer, or sea coconut, because rotted nuts (the only ones light enough to float) would fall into the sea and float on the currents to other islands. Some sailors thought that they came from a giant tree on the bottom of the sea.
Like a coconut, the seed of the coco de mer has several layers: a tough green outer skin, a layer of rough fibrous material, and a hard inner seed (coconut water and the soft white edible part of the coconut are found inside this seed). But the coco de mer seed, sometimes called the double coconut (even though it’s not a coconut at all), has a cheeky difference: the seed looks just like a human bum! That’s why it’s often considered a very naughty nut!
A mature coco de mer seed can weigh up to 44 pounds – that’s about the same weight as a 5-year-old boy!
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