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Sea-Hearts (the scientific name is Entada gigas) are tropical seeds that grow on 100-foot-long, thick vines on the banks of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers in South America . The seed pods of this rainforest plant are the largest bean pods in the world. They can reach 6 fix long!! The pod is made up of connecting capsules, each of which contains one Sea Heart. These papery pods fall into the rivers, deteriorate, and release their seeds, which wash into the sea. They can float for up to 30 years in the ocean! Eventually, they wash up on world beaches. I find them on our Galveston beaches when sargassum (seaweed from the Sargasso Sea) washed up.
Their chocolate-brown, woody shell cannot germinate unless broken open and provided with the right climatic conditions for growth. They can be prepared for germination by cracking them open, soaking them overnight in fresh water, and planting in potting soil. Although many of the seeds will germinate and grow, it is difficult to keep them growing unless in a greenhouse or tropical environment
Each Sea-Heart. They vary from 1.5--2.5 inches wide and come with a black leather cord. Also included is information about their origin.
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