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This plant identification book for the<br />
Maldives will help you: “Maldives:<br />
Trees and Flowers of a Tropical<br />
Paradise”, written by Dittrich P., Galvan<br />
DF., Wiesbauer Ali V., published by M7<br />
Print in 2012. Simply ask your resort<br />
shop or a bookshop in Male’ for it!<br />
Did you know...<br />
... that the “Maldives Coconut”<br />
actually never grew in the<br />
Maldives?<br />
Before the 18th century,<br />
when the Seychelles were<br />
uninhabited, coconuts<br />
resembling a woman’s buttocks<br />
fell from trees in the Seychelles,<br />
were drifted eastwards to the<br />
Maldives and there gathered<br />
from the beaches. They were<br />
given the name “Maldives<br />
Coconut” (Lodoicea maldivica)<br />
and valued as an important<br />
trade and medicinal item.<br />
Until the true source of the nut<br />
was discovered in 1768, it was<br />
believed by many to grow on<br />
a mythical tree at the bottom<br />
of the sea. Now we know that<br />
the “Coco de Mer” is rare<br />
and endemic to the islands<br />
of Praslin and Curieuse in the<br />
Seychelles, but never grew in<br />
the Maldives.<br />
Did you know...<br />
... that the “coconut” is actually<br />
not a nut in the botanical<br />
sense, but a drupe? A nut<br />
does not have an additional<br />
outer envelope as does the<br />
“coconut”!<br />
MALDIVIAN AIR TAXI<br />
The Tree Heliotrope<br />
(Tournefortia argentea)<br />
grows preferably in the<br />
open sandy habitats of<br />
Atolls, being the species<br />
closest to the ocean.<br />
The Screwpine<br />
(Pandanus tectorius) is a<br />
tall tree up to 10 m heights<br />
and forms impenetrable<br />
thickets because of its<br />
saw-edged leaves and<br />
the walking-stick like<br />
adventitious roots that<br />
stabilize the slender trunk.<br />
The first and<br />
only bilingual plant<br />
identification guide is now<br />
available in resorts and<br />
bookstores in the Maldives<br />
for retail and wholesale.<br />
................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... www.maldivianairtaxi.com 23
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