Raphia farinifera

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Sainte Marie, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.

Raphia (RAF-ee-uh) farinifera (fahr-ih-NIF-er-uh)

Near Ambinanitelo, Makira Protec, Toamasina, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. William J. Baker, edric.

Scientific Classification

Genus:	Raphia (RAF-ee-uh)
Species:	farinifera (fahr-ih-NIF-er-uh)

Synonyms

None set.

Native Continent

Africa

Morphology

Habit:	Solitary & clustering.
Leaf type:	Palmate

Culture

Survivability index

Common names

Raffia Palm.

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Habitat and Distribution

Endemic to Mainland Africa; in Madagascar probably introduced. Angola, Benin, Burkina, Cameroon, Gambia, The, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Réunion, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Moist situations (swamps, stream banks) near human habitations; alt. 50-1000 m.

Description

Solitary palm, though clustering in mainland Africa. TRUNK to 10 m high, covered in persistent leaf sheaths. LEAVES about 12 in the crown, porrect, slightly spreading, giving the crown a "shuttle-cock" appear- ; ance, very long, to 20 m; leaf base sheathing, with ragged ligular edge; petiole rounded in section; sheath and petiole about 1.5 m long; rachis several meters long, reddish, distally keeled, proximally to 13 cm wide and decreasing to 1 cm, with scattered scales; leaflets up to 150 on each side of the rachis, inserted in 2 planes and thereby giving the whole leaf a feathery appearance, stiff, attenuate, the median 87-103 x 3.6-3.7 cm, the distal 16-36 x 0.4-1.7 cm, main veins 1, margins with small (1-3 mm long) yellow spines from base to apex of leaflet, midrib adaxially with similar spines to 4 mm, waxy, with many minute reddish scales/glands scattered over the abaxial surface, and sparse ramenta on the midrib. INFLORESCENCE pendulous from the axils of reduced leaves at the stem apex, massive, to 3 m long and 35 cm wide, branched to 2 orders; peduncle distally c. 5.5 x 4.5 cm in diam., glabrous; primary prophyll about 25 x 28 cm; peduncular bract about 18 cm long and 8 cm in diam., tubular for about 11 cm; rachis glabrous; second order prophylls about 9 cm long; first order branches with 13-32 rachillae packed very densely in almost one plane; rachillae 6-13 cm long, about 8 x 5 mm in diam., with dense flowers. STAMINATE FLOWERS with a tubular bract, 7-7.5 x 5-6 mm, broadly ovate, acute; prophyll about 6 mm long and 3 mm in diam.; calyx tubular, 4.5-5 mm high, the lobes < 0.2 mm high, slightly ciliolate; corolla with a tube 2-3 x 1.2-1.5 mm, the lobes 6-6.6 x 2.1-2.5 mm, narrowly ovate and acute, not thickened; stamens 6, inserted at the mouth of the tube, filaments slightly connate, 2-2.8 x 0.5-0.8 mm, anthers 3.2-3.6 x 1.2-1.3 mm, basifixed, locules slightly divergent and sagittate at the base; pistillode not seen. PISTILLATE FLOWERS with a tubular bract about 10 x 9 mm, narrow at the base, widening in the tubular part and then narrowing to an acute apex; prophyll 7.5-8 mm, 2-keeled; bracteole 2.5-3.2 mm; calyx tubular and slightly urceolate, split, 5-6.5 mm high with a truncate apex; corolla tubular for 1-1.3 mm, the lobes narrowly triangular and acute, 2.7-3 x 1.5-1.8 mm; staminodes not seen; ovary about 5.5 x 2.7 mm, covered in fimbriate scales. FRUIT ovoid, 5-6 x 4-4.5 cm with a conical base and a rounded apex with a beak to 5 mm, covered in about 12 rows of reflexed scales, these with a median vertical groove, the largest scales about 16 x 16 mm, chestnut-brown in colour. SEED ovoid, about 3.5 x 3.2 cm; endosperm densely ruminate, the ruminations almost reaching the centre of the seed. (J. Dransfield and H. Beentje. 1995) Editing by edric.

According to Gerard Jean (pers. comm.), plants take 20-25 years from seed to flowering, and 5-6 years from flowering to ripe fruit; all the fruits mature in the same year. Perrier stated that raffia in Madagascar varies quite a bit as regards the length of the fibres, and in the form and size of the fruit. The most striking variety, he said, is one with very large fruits in the Sambirano. No material of this has come to light. (J. Dransfield and H. Beentje. 1995).

Culture

Comments and Curiosities

All Raphia palms seen by us were closely associated with human habitation; variation within the Madagascar populations seems to be minimal, especially as regards the fruit; this gives us reason to believe the species has been introduced to the island. This same species is common and widespread in continental Africa.

Uses: Fibres from young leaves used for a variety of crafts, including hat-making, fibre-weaving for clothing and basketry; petioles used in hut construction; fruits and hearts edible.

External Links

References

Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos, edric.

Special thanks to palmweb.org, Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos, edric.

IMAGE GALLERY
Leaf Close-up.	Leaf Base Detail.	Leaf Base Detail.	Petiole Detail.
Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens. Hilo, Hawaii.	Fairchild Botanical Garden, FL.		New Caledonia, photo by Ben, edric.
New Caledonia, photo by Ben, edric.	Madagascar. Photo by Jörg Schumann, Thirnax Palms & Cycads, (I got all those fresh Madfox seeds from him) edric.	Photo by Geoff Stein, edric.	Nong Nooch Botanical Garden, Thailand. Photo by Geoff Stein, edric.
Photo by Geoff Stein, edric.	Hawaii. Photo by Geoff Stein, edric.	Sainte marie, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Anbanizana, Masoala, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.
Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Near Soni, West Usambara, Tanzania. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Near Soni, West Usambara, Tanzania. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Near Soni, West Usambara, Tanzania. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.
Tsimbazaza, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Anbanizana, Masoala, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Sainte marie, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Montgomery Botanical Centre, Florida. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.
Maroantsetra, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Sainte Marie, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Sainte Marie, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Sainte Marie, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.
Anbanizana, Masoala, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Maroantsetra, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Montgomery Botanical Centre, Florida. Photo by Dr. William J. Baker, edric.
Sainte Marie, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Near Soni, West Usambara, Tanzania. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Sainte Marie, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Sainte Marie, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.
Sainte Marie, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Sainte Marie, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Montgomery Botanical Centre, Florida. Photo by Dr. William J. Baker, edric.	Near Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.
Xishuang, Burma. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Near Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, edric.	Montgomery Botanical Centre, Florida. Photo by Dr. William J. Baker, edric.	Queensland, Australia. Photo by Dr. William J. Baker, edric.
Montgomery Botanical Centre, Florida. Photo by Dr. William J. Baker, edric.	Near Ambinanitelo, Makira Protec, Toamasina, Madagascar. Photo by Dr. William J. Baker, edric.	Fruit with Scales. Photo-Kew, edric.