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]
| 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[1] | |
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The nut contains bitter oil, which has the property of stupefying fish.[7][8][9]
References
edit- ^ The Plant List
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Raphia vinifera". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Gardens, Kew), 1891
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Raphia vinifera
- ^ Ambroise Marie François Joseph Palisot de Beauvois. 1806. Flore d'Oware 1: 77–78, Raphia vinifera
- ^ Trees of Nigeria. Keay, R.W.J., Clarendon Press Oxford. 444 p. (1989)
- ^ The useful plants of West Africa (Tropical) Ed 2. Vol. 1., Burkill, H.M. (1985)
- ^ 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)
- ^ Otedoh, M.O. 1982. Journal of the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research 6(22): 161, Raphia vinifera var. nigerica