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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, 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]

The nut contains bitter oil, which has the property of stupefying fish.[7][8][9] The variety or subspecies found in the Niger River delta is called the "King Raphia" (Raphia vinifera nigerica) is extraordinary in being the only known type of palm with opposite pairs of leaves.[10] This variety also differs in having reddish petioles.

References

  1. ^ The Plant List
  2. ^ NRCS. "Raphia vinifera". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 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
  10. ^ Tuley, Paul (1995). The Palms of Africa. St. Ives, Cornwall, United Kingdom: Trendrine Press. p. 82. ISBN 0-9512-562-5-4.