Raphia vinifera
| West African piassava palm | |
|---|---|
| Scientific 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 | |
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Raphia vinifera, the West African piassava palm, bamboo palm or West African bass fibre 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). It is particularly abundant along the creeks of Niger Delta, Cross River, Lagos and Ikorodu in Nigeria.
The nut contains bitter oil, which has the property of stupefying fish. The variety or subspecies found in the Niger River delta is called the "King Raphia" (Raphia vinifera var. nigerica) is extraordinary in being the only known type of palm with opposite pairs of leaves. This variety also differs in having reddish petioles.