View source for Raphia

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Raphia (Greek, needle, referring to the fact that the fr. ends in a noticeable point). Palmaceae-. Mono- carpic palms unarmed or with the sheaths only armed: sts. erect, simple or dichotomously branched, densely annulate: lvs. in a terminal crown, equally pinnatisect: lfts. linear-lanceolate, acuminate, rachis not produced at the apex: spadices monoecious, large, pendulous, cylindrical, much-branched; the branches and branch- lets thick, compressed, the latter pectinately arranged, densely covered with cup-shaped bracts; common spathe none: fls. solitary in each bract, the male at the base of the ultimate branches of the spadix, the female at the apex; calyx tubular, entire or minutely toothed; corolla curved, the petals 3, linear-lanceolate, valvate; stamens 6-16: fr. large, oblong or ellipsoid, rostrate, 1-seeded.—About 15 species, Trop. Afr. and the Mas- carene Isls., l in Trop. Amer. R. Gentiliana, Wildem. Lvs. pinnate, furnished with small prickles: infl. dense, pendent, nearly 3 ft. long with flattened branches, the principal rachis of the branches with imbricate bracts:  fr.pyriform, apiculate, 2-2 1/2 in. long, with 9-10 rows of fringed scales. Congo, R. Laurentii, Wildem. Trunk up to 6 ft. : lvs. 15-40 ft. long; rachis subcylindri- cal, about 3 in. thick, grooved; lfts. irregularly disposed, linear, up to 5 1/2 ft- long and 2 in. broad, acute, with short blackish spines: infl. compact, branched, more than 3 ft. long: fr. ovoid, about 2 in. long, short- peduncled, with 12 rows of scales. Congo. R. B. 32, pp. 14-16. R. Ruffia, Mart. Raffia or Roffia Palm. Trunk 6-26 ft. high: lvs. up to 65 ft. long, petiole up to 13 ft. long, nearly 1 in. thick : fr. obovate or pyriform, somewhat depressed and mucronate at the apex, 12-15 rows of very convex scales. Trop. Afr. and Madagascar. R. Iaedigera, Mart. Trunk 6-8 ft. high: lvs. 50 ft. or more long, bending out and often forming a graceful plume 70 ft. high and 40 ft. diam. : fr. oblong, 2 1/2 in. long, reticulated with large scales. Amazon. Probably also produces raffia. R. vini- fera, Beauv.Bam-boo  Wine Palm.  Trunk of medium height: lvs. 6-7 ft. long; lfts. spiny: spadix about 8 ft. long, laxly branched: fr. cylindric-ellipsoid, shortly mucronate, 3 in. long, 8-9 rows of deeply grooved scales. Trop. Afr. — The natives make wine from the sap of the trunk and which they call "bourdon."
F. Tracy Hubbard.

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==Cultivation==
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===Propagation===
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===Pests and diseases===
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==Species==
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==Gallery==
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==References==
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
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