Raphia farinifera

Raphia farinifera
Raphia farinifera fruits
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Subfamily:	Calamoideae
Tribe:	Calameae
Genus:	Raphia P.Beauv.
Synonyms
Metroxylon ruffia (Jacq.) Spreng. Raphia kirkii Engl. ex Becc. Raphia kirkii var. grandis Engl. ex Becc. Raphia kirkii var. longicarpa Engl. ex Becc. Raphia lyciosa Comm. ex Kunth Raphia pedunculata P.Beauv. Raphia polymita Comm. ex Kunth Raphia ruffia (Jacq.) Mart. Raphia tamatavensis Sadeb. Sagus farinifera Gaertn. Sagus pedunculata (P.Beauv.) Poir. Sagus ruffia Jacq. Synonym

Raphia farinifera (Gaertn.) Hyl. is a tropical African palm tree occurring in lowland riparian and swamp forest, also around human habitations and cultivated locations, on stream banks and other moist situations at altitudes of 50-1000 m. Found in Angola, Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Réunion, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and naturalised in Madagascar. Its genus is derived from 'raphis' = needle, probably in reference to the 4 mm long yellowish spines on the margins and main veins of the leaflets. The specific name refers to a type of starchy flour obtained from the trunk pith - 'farina' = starch, 'fera' = bearing. margins and main veins with yellowish spines up to 4 mm long

It is one of 26 species currently recognised, all endemic to Africa and Madagascar, with one species, R. taedigera found in Central and South America. Their fronds - botanically a single leaf - are among the longest in the plant kingdom, those of R. regalis reaching a length of 25 m.

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