Denise Milani Black Dresse

Rescue in extremis coconut horned Tetiaroa!

A rare coconut with horn was present on the atoll motu Onetahi Tetiaroa . Only Teihotu, son of Marlon Brando, knew the exact location of a coconut tree. Teihotu also refused to disclose this location. In 2006, he gave me a fruit (very old, therefore sterile) of the coconut. I still have this fruit, which I thoroughly aired the photographs (see message of 17 February 2009 published in this blog).
It turns out that coconut to the location kept secret has been killed by mistake during the recent motu Onetahi amenities. This is sometimes the price of secrecy ...

So we asked to search among the nuts fall to the ground while some had the characteristics of coconut with horn.

Cecile Gaspar, President of the association Te Mana O Te Moana, was able to find ten seeds that could be transferred to the nursery. Some of these seeds germinated, as shown in the photos below cons. If the coconut to horn has disappeared, at least their genes they are saved, and we will find coconut palms in this horned offspring.

In 2006, when I was on Tetiaroa, we asked Teihotu, son of Marlon Brando to collect seeds and coconut horned planting. Since then, Teihotu moved Tetiaroa. During my visit to Tahiti in 2009, I was unable to contact him.

In contrast, according to Cecilia, it appears that he followed my advice and has him also planted some plants in coconut horn yet he will know precisely where these young coconuts are located.

One of the thirteen islands of Tetiaroa should be replanted with coconut seeds with horns, while retaining the other plant species. These seeds come from Tetiaroa but also other islands in French Polynesia in which lurk a few coconuts to horn.

It is certain that this particular island will become even more iconic, such as the Vallee de Mai Praslin Island in Seychelles, which thrive in the famous coco-butt ...