Arecaceae FAMILY

Raphia farinifera

Edibility

3/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Raffia palm is an evergreen, clumping palm producing unbranched stems up to 10 metres tall and 60cm in diameter. A rosette of huge leaves that can be 20 metres long grow out of the top of the stem. Individual stems only flower once, usually when around 20 - 30 years old, and then die, though a new stem is normally formed from the roots[ 314 Title Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia. Publication Author Website http://www.pacsoa.org.au/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Contains at least a little information on the majority of palm and cycad species, plus a wealth of photographs. A first class website. , 398 Title Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania Publication Author Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B. Publisher Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi. Year 2002 ISBN 9966-896-60-0 Description A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants. ]. Mainly gathered from the wild, the plant has a wide range of uses and is very important to the local people where it grows in Africa[ 297 Title Palms of the World Publication Author Blombery. A. & Rodd. T. Publisher Angus and Robertson Year 1992 ISBN 0-207-14848-1 Description An excellent guide, well illustrated, with information on cultivation, uses, habitat etc of almost 200 species of Palms. ]. It is also the prime source of raffia, much used in basket making etc[ 297 Title Palms of the World Publication Author Blombery. A. & Rodd. T. Publisher Angus and Robertson Year 1992 ISBN 0-207-14848-1 Description An excellent guide, well illustrated, with information on cultivation, uses, habitat etc of almost 200 species of Palms. ]. The plant is cultivated in Nigeria, Madagascar and India, and is also semi-cultivated in several areas of Africa[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeTropical Africa - Senegal to Cameroon; Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Madagascar.

HabitatMoist, swampy ground[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]. Riverine and groundwater forest[ 364 Title Field Guide to the Moist Forest Trees of Tanzania. Publication Author Lovett J.C.; Ruffo C.K.; Gereau R.E.; Taplin J.R.D Website http://www.york.ac.uk/res/celp/webpages/projects/ecology/tree%20guide/introduction.htm Publisher Frontier Year 0 ISBN 1-873070-33-0 Description A lovely little book giving a basic identification guide to more than 650 species of trees growing in Tanzania. It is also available to view on the internet. ]. Gallery forests, freshwater swamp forest, along river banks and in the western shoreline forests of Lake Victoria, at elevations from sea level to 2,500 metres[ 398 Title Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania Publication Author Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B. Publisher Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi. Year 2002 ISBN 9966-896-60-0 Description A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants. ].