Raphia longiflora
General description:
Moderate, clustered palm; stems 2-4, about 3-7 m long, with leaves to 7-10 m long; leaflets to 160 on each side of rachis; inflorescences pendant, total size unknown; fruits ranging from ellipsoid-elongate to turbinate, 4.5-5.5 cm long and 3.5-4 cm in diameter, covered by light reddish-brown scales when young, becoming darker when the fruit is ripe.
Distribution:
This palm was first collected on Corisco Island (29 km southwest of the Rio Muni estuary that defines the border between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon). According to Tuley (1995) despite the limited sightings of this palm, one would nevertheless anticipate its occurrence anywhere in near-coastal swamps and off-shore islands between the Niger and the Congo (Zaire) Deltas.