559.000 Raphia P. Beauv. - Raffia palms

Description of the genus

Monoecious trees, the base often bearing aerial roots (see image 3). Leaves pinnate, enormous, the largest in the plant kingdom; leaflets numerous, arranged in 1-several planes. Inflorescences up to 3 m, large, branched. Male flowers: calyx tubular, 3-lobed; corolla with 3 lobes; stamens 6-many. Female flowers: calyx and corolla similar to male; staminodes present; stigmas 3. Fruit bearing glossy brown scales.

Worldwide: About 20 species, all but two confined to tropical Africa.

Zimbabwe: 1 taxon.

Raphia farinifera

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
farinifera (Gaertn.) Hyl.[VU]N,EDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Raphia:

Our websites:

Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Raphia
Flora of Malawi: Raphia
Flora of Mozambique: Raphia
Flora of Zambia: Raphia

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Raphia
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Raphia
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Raphia
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Raphia
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Raphia
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Raphia
JSTOR Plant Science: Raphia
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Raphia
Plants of the World Online: Raphia
Tropicos: Raphia
Wikipedia: Raphia

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Genus page: Raphia.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=297, retrieved 29 March 2024

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