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.
^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.
^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. Bibcode:2001AusEc..26..254E. 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.
^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.