Raffia Palm (Raphia farinifera)

Family: Arecaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Raphia farinifera or commonly known as Raffia Palm is a tropical palm tree endemic to Africa that grows up to 10 m tall and 60 cm in trunk diameter. It is a monocarpic species, which means that its individual stems only flower once then die. Flowering occurs when the tree is about 20-25 years old and it takes another 5 years from flowering to ripe fruit. The fruits are oblong to ovoid and covered with glossy golden brown scales.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Nuts/Seeds, Shoots, Sap/Syrup

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweet beverage. — The sap from the trunk is fermented to make palm wine.; It is also used to make a sweet beverage.; The sap can be obtained either by cutting down the trunk and allowing the sap to drain out, or by boring a hole in the trunk near the apex.; An edible starch is obtained from the stem.

Habitat & North American Range

Moist, swampy ground. Riverine and groundwater forest. Gallery forests, freshwater swamp forest, along river banks and in the western shoreline forests of Lake Victoria, at elevations from sea level to 2,500 metres. (Zone 9)