strangely nut on the beach...........!

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Jörg Grunert
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strangely nut on the beach...........!

Post by Jörg Grunert »

Hi everybody,

i found some very strange an funny looking nuts just only at on special beach at the northcoast.
I showed these little things some locals but not only one could say what kind of fruit it is. The people said to me that this kind of fruit is not growing up here at tobago, it can just come with the current from another island or maybe from the continent. But i don´t believe this story because the nuts sinking in water. Hm, i would like to know more about these nuts, so i hope to get here an answere.

thanks a lot, (if it is not the right categorie, please move)

Jack (Jörg)
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Hugh S
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Re: strangely nut on the beach...........!

Post by Hugh S »

Baby coconuts?
Jörg Grunert
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Re: strangely nut on the beach...........!

Post by Jörg Grunert »

No, babycoconuts have a green exterior shell and no space for 2 fruits. The nuts at the picture have a double-cameral.
GervaisAlkins

Re: strangely nut on the beach...........!

Post by GervaisAlkins »

When you say NorthCoast do you mean the Windward side or Leeward side?

Alot of driftwood and debris comes to Tobago via currents from South America. Those seeds look very unfamliar though. I'll send your pics to a forestry friend.
David Watkins
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Re: strangely nut on the beach...........!

Post by David Watkins »

At first glance the looked rather like sea urchin or sea slug skeletons,what do you think?
David
Jörg Grunert
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Re: strangely nut on the beach...........!

Post by Jörg Grunert »

Hi there,

i searched at other websites and i found a answere to my question.
This nuts should be the fruit of the cohune palm.

At this wonderful website you can compare beans from the shore.

http://www.seabean.com/guide/

Thanks a lot for your help,

Jack (Jörg)
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Richardus
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Re: strangely nut on the beach...........!

Post by Richardus »

This is interesting! But it only solves part of the mystery. How did the cohune palm nuts get there? As you said the nuts sink in water so cannot have drifted ashore. Hmm...
GervaisAlkins

Re: strangely nut on the beach...........!

Post by GervaisAlkins »

This is fascinating stuff here!!
I checked on images on goggle and i'm sure I've seen palms like that up north.
Maybe the seeds were originally brought here. Case in point there are two mango trees (one in C'ville/one in Loius D'or) that were brought from Africa and planted here in the early 1900's.
I'll look for the Cohune Palm next time I go hiking north.
David Watkins
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Re: strangely nut on the beach...........!

Post by David Watkins »

I've seen this palm all over the island but mainly in the built up areas as an ornamental.This grows in Cornwall as well and is called the poison cherry as the fruit are very nasty tasting.
I've also seen them in the S of France and Morroco
David
Jörg Grunert
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Re: strangely nut on the beach...........!

Post by Jörg Grunert »

Hi there,

@ david, in the tropics is a lot of different kind of palm trees from this family. It could be another kind of palm in Marocco, south-europe.

I think the cohune palm, the grower of the Nuts have long stings like a sea-urchin on the tree trunk.

It is possible that the seed come on a hole tree drifting from the continent across the ozean, everybody know, it isn´t far to Venezuela, as well people brought these nuts to cultivate them on Tobago.

thanks a lot,

Jack (Jörg)
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