Common Name: Wine Palm

General Information

Wine palm is an evergreen, single-stemmed palm tree with an unbranched, rather stout stem that can be 5 metres tall. It is topped by a crown of leaves that can be 10 metres or more long[].
A multipurpose tree that is very important for the local population, supplying food, fibres and building materials. The fibres are exported to many other countries. The plant is cultivated in Nigeria, Cameroon, India, and Singapore[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical west Africa - Ghana to DR Congo.

Habitat

Borders of rivers[]. Swamps and creeks[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	6.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A monocarpic plant - growing for several years without flowering, then producing a massive inflorescence and dying after setting seed[].

Edible Uses

The oil, extracted from the mesocarp of the fruits by cooking, is used as food (raphia butter)[, ].

The kernels of the fruits are eaten roasted[].

The fruit is edible, but somewhat bitter[].

The terminal bud of the palm is eaten as palm cabbage[].

An intoxicating beverage called Bourdon is obtained by tapping the trunk and fermenting the sap obtained[]. The sweet sap is extracted by removing the immature inflorescence and collecting the sap that runs out of the portion of cut stem remaining on the tree. In contrast to Raphia hookeri, the sap is not much used for wine making[]. The sap is also concentrated to make a sweet syrup[]. When the stems are harvested to be used as poles, they are allowed to lie on the ground for several days whilst the sap was drained. The drink obtained by this method is less sweet and more alcoholic that the drink obtained from the genuine wine palm (Elaeis spp)[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The leaves are mainly exploited as a source of fibres (piassava, raffia, Lagos-bast, African bast)[]. Hats, clothes and cordage are traditionally made from the leaves[].
The leaves are considered as one of the best local thatching materials, being more durable than other materials[]. Bound with lines, they are used as a thatching material[].

The vascular bundle fibres, obtained from the leaf sheaths, are made into brooms and brushes[]. The fibres are about 90 - 120cm long[].

The bast fibres serve the weaving of mats, baskets, belts, hammocks, fishing lines, and as tying material, used in the horticulture[].

The oil, extracted from the mesocarp of the fruits by cooking, is used as food (raphia butter) or utilized as fuel oil, lubricant, or pomade[].

The leaf stems are about 2 metres long[]. They are used as a building material in a similar manner to bamboo for making the framework of native dwellings[, ].
The mid-ribs are stout but light. They have a wide range of uses including as poles, paddles, material for house building, furniture making etc[]. When split, they provide material for weaving floor mats[].

The main stems of the plant are used as house posts[].

Propagation

Seed -

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