Wine raffia palm
Raphia vinifera
Family: Arecaceae
What it is like
A clumping palm. The trunk is short and stout. It is 5 m tall. There are suckers near the base. The plant forms a clump. Each trunk dies after flowering. The leaves are tall and feathery. The leaflets are long. They are dark green and shiny above and waxy and have a blue-green bloom underneath. The flowering stalk is like a thick sausage like growth. It is erect to start with then hangs over. It can be 3 m long.
Where it is found
A tropical plant but it will grow in the subtropics. They need plenty of water. In XTBG Yunnan.
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 (country/location of origin), Zambia
How it is used for food
The flowering stalk is cut off and the sap collected to make wine. It is also boiled down to make sugar. The fruit is bitter but is eaten. The yellow oily pulp is eaten or used as bitter flavouring. The kernels are roasted and eaten. They are used as a vegetable. The palm cabbage is eaten as a vegetable.
Edible parts
Nuts, cabbage, sap, palm heart, fruit
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
African Bamboo Palm, Pharoah's palm, Wine palm