Raphia vinifera

Raphia vinifera, the West African piassava palm,[2] bamboo palm or West African bass fibre[3] is a palm tree species in the genus Raphia. It is native to Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ghana, and Democratic Republic of the Congo ( = Zaire = Congo-Kinshasa).[4][5] It is particularly abundant along the creeks of Niger Delta, Cross River, Lagos and Ikorodu in Nigeria.[6]

West African piassava palm
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Raphia
Species:
R. vinifera
Binomial name
Raphia vinifera
Synonyms[1]
  • Metroxylon viniferum (P.Beauv.) Spreng.
  • Raphia diasticha Burret
  • Raphia vinifera var. nigerica Otedoh
  • Sagus raphia Poir.
  • Sagus vinifera (P.Beauv.) Pers.
  • Sagus vinifera (P. Beauv.) Poir.

The nut contains bitter oil, which has the property of stupefying fish.[7][8][9]

References
  1. The Plant List
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Raphia vinifera". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  3. Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Gardens, Kew), 1891
  4. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Raphia vinifera
  5. Ambroise Marie François Joseph Palisot de Beauvois. 1806. Flore d'Oware 1: 77–78, Raphia vinifera
  6. Trees of Nigeria. Keay, R.W.J., Clarendon Press Oxford. 444 p. (1989)
  7. The useful plants of West Africa (Tropical) Ed 2. Vol. 1., Burkill, H.M. (1985)
  8. Toxicity of Raphia vinifera, P. beauv fruit extracts on biochemical composition of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus, Trewavas). Oyebamiji O. Fafioye, S. O. Fagade and A. A. Adebisi, Biokemistri 17(2):137-142 (Dec 2005)
  9. Otedoh, M.O. 1982. Journal of the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research 6(22): 161, Raphia vinifera var. nigerica
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