Raphia australis

Oberm. & Strey

Kosi palm, Southern raphia palm

Arecaceae

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(c) Craig Peter, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Pith - starch

The pith contains edible starch.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows in freshwater swamp forests.

Africa, Asia, East Africa, Indonesia, Mozambique*, SE Asia, South Africa,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Bahrain, Burundi, Benin, Brunei, Bhutan, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, China, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Comoros, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Myanmar, Mongolia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Maldives, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sudan, Singapore, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Syria, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Taiwan, Tanzania, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A solitary palm. The stem is broad and 12 m tall. It has a dense crown. The leaves are stiffly erect and there are leaflets along the stalk. The leaf stalks do not have spines. The leaflets are narrow and they have spines along the edge. The flowering shoots is covered by a sheath 3 m long. The flowers are brownish. The fruit are oval and scaly. There is one seed.

How to Grow

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Propagation: Seed - fresh seed grows easily once the outer scales have been removed. Seedlings need filtered sunlight, plentiful water and protection from wind.

Other Uses

The vast petioles and midribs are used to make outriggers for canoes. They have been for various purposes, including to make rafts, market stalls, bus shelters etc. The seeds are used as good, if bulky, ornaments.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Raphia australis, the giant palm, Kosi Palm, or rafia, is a species of raffia palm in the family Arecaceae. It is found around Kosi Bay in southern Mozambique and northeastern KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. It is threatened by habitat loss caused by drainage of its habitat for agriculture; it is being threatened in the Bobole Special Reserve but is more secure in the Kosi Bay area.

Names & Synonyms

Palem kosi

References (2)