Raphia palma-pinus

(Gaertn.) Hutch.

Thatch palm

ArecaceaeFruitSeeds/NutsShootsBark/Sap

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit, Seeds, Sap, Palm heart, Cabbage

None known

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows in wet swamps. It grows in the landward side of mangrove swamps.

Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, West Africa,

Countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Benin, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Comoros, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A palm. The trunk is 2-3 m high. It develops suckers and forms clump. The fronds are yellowish-green and not shiny.

How to Grow

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

Propagation: Seed.

Medicinal Uses

The frond and petiole are used as a medicine to treat blood disorders.

Other Uses

The plant is a commercial source of piassava — the base of the petiole for a length of 100cm is retted and split to produce hard fibres. The mid-ribs of the leaves are used to make poles and are crafted into household furnishings such as chairs and beds. The fronds are widely used as thatch.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Raphia palma-pinus is a fast-growing evergreen tree reaching 10 m tall and 6 m wide. Hardy to UK zone 10, it thrives in light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils across mildly acid to neutral pH ranges, and tolerates very acid and saline conditions. The plant grows in semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist or wet soil.

Names & Synonyms

Apel, Batata, Befen, Chana bua, Dahare, Dara, Darre, Mambampa-tara, Tara, Tarra

Sagus palma-pinus Gaertn.

References (4)

Dalziel, J. M., 1937, The Useful plants of west tropical Africa. Crown Agents for the Colonies London.
Gueye, M., et al, 2014, Wild Fruits Traditionally Gathered by the Malinke Ethnic Group in the Edge of Niokolo Koba Park (Senegal). American Journal of Plant Sciences 5, 1306-1317
Manvell, A., 2011, Use of Non-Timber Forest Products around Sapo National Park, Liberia (Report B) p 52
Peters, C. R., O'Brien, E. M., and Drummond, R.B., 1992, Edible Wild plants of Sub-saharan Africa. Kew. p 39