Lodoicea maldivica or Coco-de-mer is without any doubt the most enigmatic tree (And probably life form in general) of the Seychelles. For centuries the tree was only known from its gigantic seeds wich are the biggest in the plant kingdom. The seeds washed ashore on the Maldives and where prized artifacts of an unknown origin. People speculated of trees growing on the bottom of the sea therefore giving them the name Coco de Mer. With the discovery of the Granitic islands of the Seychelles people also found out where these trees occurred and soon started to deplete the natural populations making the tree ever rarer than it naturally was. Today however times have changed. the main populations are now within national parks and they form a good way of income as Tourists love to visit these places are the sale of seeds is regulated in a way that the income of the sales benefits the national parks and protection of not just the Coco de mer but also the other species it grows side by side with.