Raphia

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Read about Raphia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

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. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

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