Posted on 04/30/2008 8:53:29 PM PDT by blam
Rare coconut tree on sale for $1m
By John James
BBC News Abidjan
No buyers have come forward for the tree
Scientists in Ivory Coast are trying to sell a rare multi-headed coconut tree for a million dollars.
They have yet to find a buyer. Most coconut palms have a single trunk and head - this one has three heads.
"It is a rare botanical curiosity", says Dr Roland Bourdeix, who works with the Marc Delorme coconut research station outside Abidjan.
"We have 150,000 palm trees in this research plantation and there is only one which has three heads like this."
Such branching is sometimes a result of an insect attack or falling palm frond, but in this case there are no signs of damage, meaning the branching could be genetic.
This palm was imported from Malaysia about 40 years ago.
"We are going to multiply the tree about 150 times to see if the progeny have three or even four heads."
It will take 20 years to find out.
Moving a million dollar palm
Dr Bourdeix says moving the palm to the home of a potential buyer should not be a problem.
"Last year I was in French Polynesia and some people took very high coconut palms to plant in their private islands, so I think it is possible to move it - not very easy - but it is possible."
The research plantation is short of funds following the civil war
The tree is on the market to raise money for further research.
The Marc Delorme research station, which dates back to 1949, is one of the most important of its kind in the world but has struggled to keep going during the Ivorian civil war.
"We need funding for researchers," says research head Dr Jean-Louis Konan.
"We carry out many research activities and provide hybrids for farmers in order to develop the coconut sector in the world."
The three-headed palm tree produces more than 150 large fruit a year, as opposed to the normal 30-80 coconuts.
I’ll offer them $100 if they deliver.
Um, they can buy one from me.
I’ll have to go look for one, though.
I’m sure I’ll find one on my island, though.
Don’t know if it’s the same, but if you cut the top of a pine tree, it will continue to grow, sprouting two tops.
Maybe the coconut tree was cut or damaged at the top, causing the divided growth.
It says it’s rare, but how rare is it really?
I’d prefer a Bonzai tree.
Give me 10 minutes and a chain saw and I can fix that...
This just in: Keef Richards has just relinquished any claims to the coconut tree.
If the cultivar could be propagated via seedling, the tree is worth a fortune far greater than the asking price. However, I would need pretty strong evidence that the condition is genetic before considering.
Haha
Don’t know if it’s the same, but if you cut the top of a pine tree, it will continue to grow, sprouting two tops.
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“Topping” a Palm will kill it...
The researcher stated that multiple heads sometimes occur “Such branching is sometimes a result of an insect attack or falling palm frond, but in this case there are no signs of damage, meaning the branching could be genetic.”
As another poster has stated if this is genetic that tree is worth much more than the asking price... In the Philippines for instance coconuts are protected trees and you can be jailed for cutting down even a dead one... takes a lot of coconuts to produce that oil...
looking at that tree it reminds me of how Sago’s can develop multiple heads... perhaps this palm developed “suckers” that grew into this??? Can palms have suckers??? Can manipulation of the “crown” cause two heads??
Interesting information!
Thanks!
To get that kind of a cut you need a saw. Native strip the husk off and then whack the equator with a heavy object to cause an equitorial crack (where the strain from a sharp blow is concentrated).
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