Raphia regalis
Becc.
Arecaceae
Common Name:
General Information
Raphia regalis is an evergreen palm. The plant forms a short stem up to 1 metre long, but this is mainly buried underground so that the plant appears stemless. The stem is topped by a rosette of a few, very long, more or less erect leaves that can exceed 20 metres in length and are said to be the largest leaves of any plant[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
,
970- Title
- The Raphia Palms of West Africa
- Publication
- Kew Bulletin Vol. 19 No. 2
- Author
- Russell T.A.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London
- Year
- 1965
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Describing the six known species of Raphia found in west Africa and their uses.
].
The plant is commonly harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.
This highly distinctive palm, with no aerial trunk and with leaves rating amongst the largest in the plant kingdom, is likely under-recorded due to difficulties in collecting specimens of it, and in the fact that it has received limited taxonomic attention. Continuing decline is inferred because of extensive forest clearance for timber and for agricultural expansion in Nigeria and Bakossi. Selective felling for use in building and tapping of palm wine, mainly in Nigeria, poses a serious threat. The species may well be more threatened than the current lisiting indicates. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
West tropical Africa - Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, DR Congo, Angola.
Habitat
The sides and summits of wooded slopes in wet forest, often on ridges, where it may be gregarious; at elevations from 500 - 850 metres[
970- Title
- The Raphia Palms of West Africa
- Publication
- Kew Bulletin Vol. 19 No. 2
- Author
- Russell T.A.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London
- Year
- 1965
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Describing the six known species of Raphia found in west Africa and their uses.
]. Usually found on acid soils[
328- Title
- African Flowering Plants Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
- Publisher
- Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
].
Properties
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable |
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Tree |
| Height | 20.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
A monocarpic plant - growing for several years without flowering, then producing a massive inflorescence and dying after setting seed[
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.
].
Edible Uses
The stems are tapped for their sap, which is fermented to make an alcoholic drink[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
The leaves have a wide range of uses - the leaflets being used for thatching and weaving whilst the midribs are used for construction, paddles, making furniture etc[
332- Title
- The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Burkil. H. M.
- Publisher
- Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
- Year
- 1985 - 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
