Lodoicea
(said to be altered from Laodicea, so called after Laodice, daughter of Priam). Coco de Mer; Double Cocoa-nut. ORD. Palmae. A monotypic genus, the species being a stove palm, very rarely seen in cultivation. It thrives best in a compost of rich loam and leaf mould, in equal parts. Thorough drainage, an abundant supply of water, and very strong heat, are essential elements to success in the culture of this plant. The seeds being very large, one of the chief difficulties in establishing this plant is its peculiar manner of germination; the radicle grows down in the form of a stout tap root for 3ft. or more, and, splitting open at the end, allows the plumule to ascend. If this long outgrowth be checked or injured in any way, success cannot be hoped for. The heavy seed can be kept on or in one pot, and the growing radicle allowed to push into another, keeping the whole dark until the development of the young plant, from which the seed should not be separated until the connection between the two falls naturally.
L. sechellarum (Seychelles). fl. produced on separate plants, both having three sepals and three petals. fr. very large, covered externally with a thick fibrous husk, and containing one, two, or even three immense stones or nuts, with very hard and thick black shells, each being divided half-way down into two lobes. l. large, fan-shaped, sometimes 20ft. long, and 6ft. wide. Trunk nearly cylindrical, scarcely 1ft. in diameter, bearing a crown of leaves. h. 50ft. to 100ft. Seychelles Isles. The fruits of this plant average about 401b. in weight. (B. M. 2734.)