Vegetable Ivory
Vegetable Ivory, the seeds of the tagua, or ivory nut palm, a palm tree of tropical South America and Panama. The seeds, about the size of hens' eggs, are a substitute for ivory. They have been used to make buttons, chess pieces, and small ornaments. The tagua grows to a height of about five feet (1.5 m).
The tagua is Phytelephas macrocarpa of the family Palmae.