Wine Raffia Palm. Wine Palm
Raphia vinifera

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

Raphia vinifera is an evergreen Tree growing to 6 m (19ft) by 4 m (13ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 6

Where it is found

Borders of rivers. Swamps and creeks.

Tropical west Africa - Ghana to DR Congo.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa, China, Congo, East Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Guinea, Guinée, India, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, West Africa*, Zambia

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

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).

Apical bud: Typically, the end of a shoot contains an apical bud, which is the location where shoot growth occurs.

Oil: Oil

Sap: usually of trees and usually but not always used as a drink.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 3

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. Industrial Crop: Fibre.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Industrial Crop: Fiber: Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Industrial Crop: Fiber: Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

How it is grown

Humid tropics. A monocarpic plant - growing for several years without flowering, then producing a massive inflorescence and dying after setting seed. Fruit rot, caused by Thielaviopsis paradoxa (synonym: Chalara paradoxa) affects Raphia vinifera in Nigeria, causing dark brown rot of the mesocarp. It is a weak pathogen entering fruit via wounds, sometimes killing the embryo, and leading to loss of planting material. The aphid Cerataphis palmae may cause considerable damage to Raphia vinifera, e.g. in Nigeria.

Propagating it: Raphia palms are generally propagated by seed. In nurseries, a spacing of 30 cm × 30 cm is recommended. Seedlings may be collected from the wild and raised in a nursery before being planted out in the field. Raphia vinifera is also propagated by suckers. Propagation by tissue culture techniques may offer potential for Raphia.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Palm, Pharoah's palm, Wine palm, West African piassava palm, bamboo palm or West African bass fibre

Synonyms

Metroxylon viniferum (P.Beauv.) Spreng. Raphia diasticha Burret Sagus raphia Poir. Sagus vinifera (P.Beauv.) Pers.