A rare Coco de Mer tree has produced a ripe fruit at a botanical garden in Thailand.

The valuable ‘double’ coconut – shaped like a bottom – was found inside the orchard of Nong Nuch Tropical Garden in Chonburi province on January 7.

Coco de Mers originate from Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles and they are difficult to cultivate.

Due to the special care they require, the fruits can sell for up 2,500GBP while a whole tree would cost up to 12,250 GBP.

The botanical garden’s director said their staff’s hard work had finally paid off to produce the Coco de Mer, which is also known as a ‘sea coconut’.

He said: ‘These trees are rare and have many uses. Sea coconuts are used to make traditional medicine to treat diseases.

‘They are believed to be the fruit of immortality. Some of them have a life span of 30 years and some 100 years.’

Kampol added that there are 36 sea coconut trees in their garden – four of which are male trees, seven are females, while 25 still have an unknown gender.

He said: ‘Botanists from foreign countries have asked to exchange some of their rare plants with our sea coconuts. Such an exchange has been made with French Guiana and Reunion.

The seed of the Coco de Mer is the largest in the world, which can be up to 12 inches long and up to 30kg in weight.

The tree requires at least seven years to mature and the seed at least two years to germinate.