The one-eyed coconut

By Dr R. Bourdeix, click on the pictures to enlarge them ...

In 2011, this coconut was sold to an Australian collector. The main objective of this sale was not winning money, but communication. Now, it is expected that many coconut stakeholders and researchers from everywhere in the world will look carefully at their coconuts straight in the eyes to find such rarities... Hoping that many new "coconut freaks" will be discovered in the coming years.

Normal coconuts have three round indented markings or "eyes"...

This coconut have only one !

This is a real coconut found in Africa in 1999. It belonged to the private collection of Dr R. Bourdeix, in Montpellier, France, and was the unique available of its kind.

There is no coconut palm producing regularly this kind of such a strange coconuts. One eyed coconut is very rare; it occurs no more than one time within several millions of normal coconut.

One-eyed coconuts are regarded and valued by various cultures as a bringer of good-luck and prosperity.

Two-eyed coconuts

By Dr R. Bourdeix, click on the pictures to enlarge them ...

Normal coconuts have three round indented markings or "eyes"... These coconuts have only two !

They are real coconuts found in Africa. They belongs to the private collection of Dr R. Bourdeix, in Montpellier, France.

There is no coconut palm producing regularly this kind of such a strange coconuts.

Two eyed coconut are rare; it occurs no more than one time within several hundreds of normal coconut. 

They are known as "Ekaakshi Nariyal" in India.

Some Indian people call it "one eyed coconut", because they say normal coconut have a mouth and two eyes (when we said three eyes),

so "Ekaakshi Nariyal" have a mouth and one eye

(when we say two eyes).

In 2016, "Ekaakshi Nariyal" coconuts are sold

in an Indian internet site: http://www.rudraksham.com

8 branches coconut palms

Following the publication of information about the first 3 headed coconut palm, pictures of multi-headed coconut palms where sent to us.

One of the nicest image was sent to us by Luigi Guarino, with the mysterious name of "Rajnesh Sant"; It seems to be, at least, a nice 7 (or even 8) headed coconut tree but nobody knows where is located this palm. It seems to be a secret...

Some information was found in Panoramio, but the link is no longer active (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/42452948). It seems that this palm is finally located in Kozhenchery, Kerala, at 105 km south of Kochi

Another famous 8 headed coconut palm was described by Marc Rombaud in the Island of Ko Samui. Up to now, there is no good picture available. This palm is well known as a tourist attraction. In the past some information can be found (but is no longer available)  at this URL address: http://www.samuitourism.com/attractions/coconut_tree.htm

So, to anybody having a confirmed good picture of the Ko Samui 8 headed coconut palm, please send it to us! Probably this palm is now dead.

When you own such a palm and when it fell down, it is possible to take separately each of the branch, cut two third of the existing leaves and replant in the soil with good watering. Please this will avoid to loose a so precious coconut freak!

Coconuts with 3 and half "eyes"

By Dr Roland Bourdeix, click on the picture to enlarge...
Click on the picture to enlarge...

Normal coconuts have three round indented markings or "eyes"...
This coconut have three and half !

It is a real coconut, not a virtual one. It belongs to the private collection of Dr R. Bourdeix, in Montpellier, France. There is no coconut palm producing regularly this kind of such a strange coconut. This sample is the only known example of a coconut having only one eye. This phenomenon occurs no more than one time within several thousands of normal coconut.

Coconut with four eyes

By Dr Roland Bourdeix, click on the picture to enlarge...

Normal coconuts have three round indented markings or "eyes"...These coconuts have four!

They are real coconuts, not virtual one. The smallest is from a variety called Tahitian Red Dwarf.  variety. The variety remains unknown for the other four eyed coconuts.

They belong to the private collection of Dr R. Bourdeix, in Montpellier, France. There is no coconut palm producing regularly this kind of such a strange coconut. This phenomenon is quire rare. It occurs no more than one time within several hundreds of normal coconuts.

Three different coconuts are presented, of witch one is a really freak and especially rare!

Coconuts with 4 eyes and half

By Dr Roland Bourdeix, click on the picture to enlarge...

Only one of this kind was found in the heap for fruits sold to private stakeholders by the Marc Delorme Research Station in Côte d'Ivoire, Africa. The variety remains unknown.

Coconuts with 5 eyes

By Dr Roland Bourdeix, click on the picture to enlarge...

Normal coconuts have three round indented markings or "eyes"...

This coconut have only five eyes... and a very suggestive shape!

It is a real coconut, not a virtual one.

It belongs to the private collection of Dr R. Bourdeix, in Montpellier, France. There is no coconut palm producing regularly this kind of such a strange coconut. This sample is the only known example of a coconut having only five eyes and such a shape. This phenomenon occurs no more than one time within several millions of normal coconuts.

Two coconuts fused by the Husk!

By Dr Roland Bourdeix, click on the picture to enlarge...

This double fruit was found by Dr Roland Bourdeix in heap sold by the Marc Delorme Research Station in Ivory Coast during the year 1999. Its variety is unknown; there is more than 60 different coconut varieties available in this research center, and this twin fruit was taken from a heap of fruits harvested in the germplasm collection and sold to private stakeholders.

The fruit was splitted in two. The kernel was removed and the fruit was let to dry during two monthes. It was then given to the luxury craft business named "Couleur bois" in Abidjan, 

Who prepared, polished and treated  it with a marine varnish.

Dr Michel de Nuce de Lamothe

Dr R. Bourdeix gave one half of this fruit, as retirement gift, to Dr Michel de Nuce de Lamothe, former coordinator of the COGENT network, Former General Director of CIRAD and AGROPOLIS, and former head of Coconut Research Division of IRHO.  The other half of the double coconut remains the private collection of Dr Roland Bourdeix.

To date, this double coconut is on the only of its kind worldwide. Please note that the term "Double coconut" is commonly used to describe the 

Three Head coconut palm

By Dr Roland Bourdeix. Click on the pictures to enlarge them...

Dr Roland Bourdeix climbing
the Three head palm

The Three Heads palm is a rare botanical curiosity. It amounts to just one case, reported on a plantation of approximatively 1,000 hectares, (i.e. 150,000 palms) of a coconut tree whose stem has branched on two occasions. 

Usually, the coconut palm only has a single terminal bud which emits all the organs: bunches, fronds and stem. This single bud, which is well protected, functions continually in a system of vertical spirals. In general, 12 to 18 fronds and inflorescences are produced each year. Over the same period, the coconut palm produces from 20 to 160 cm of stem, depending on the age and variety. therefore a coconut palm will never stop growing, until it dies.
It is very rare to find coconut palms with several leaf crowns. Such abnormalities are usually caused by boring insect attacks, or by large branches falling off and damaging the terminal bud of the coconut palm. In a few rare cases, the damaged bud is not totally destroyed, but its growth is disrupted. This sometimes leads to stem branching. In the case of the Malayan Tall Three Heads, there is no scarring indicating insect attacks, or an accident that might have disrupted the bud and caused branching. Moreover, this branching has occurred twice and at least a full year apart.
It is likely that the cause of branching was accidental, even though signs of the accident are not visible. However, the fact that the coconut palm has branched twice indicates that this palm possesses a genetic predisposition to branching.
The Malayan Tall Three Heads is a botanical curiosity of which there is only one example in Africa. Coconut palms of this type may be of interest to botanical gardens or tourist sites.

So, this palm was for sale at the amazing price of USD 1 000,000 (one million dollars only). This money may help African research on the coconut palm to go further… Wa found a customer in Florida, the owner of a large luxury resort, but finally the Ivoirian Government refused to sell. It has been decided to harvest seednuts from the three heads and raise them in the research centre nursery. However, nobody knows whether the extraordinary characteristic of the parent will pass onto its progenies. Call back in 20 years to get the answer !

Normal coconuts have 3 eyes, no less, no more !

By Dr Roland Bourdeix, click on the picture to enlarge...

Coco means "Monkey face"

The English name coconut, first mentioned in English print in 1555, comes from Spanish and Portugese word coco, which means "monkey face." It is said Spanish and Portugese explorers found a resemblance to a monkey's face in the three round indented markings or "eyes" found at the top of the coconut. A normal coconut have 3 "eyes", but not all the coconut with 3 "eyes" are ordinary ones as size, shape and disposition of the coconut "eyes" may vary a lot...

Indian people say that coconut have no one mouth and 2 eyes.