Raphia textilis
General description:
Small to moderate, solitary palm; stem erect, to 3-10 m tall; leaves to 7 m long, leaflets to 160 on each side of rachis; fruits turbinate to cylindrical, 6-7 cm long and 4-5 cm in diameter, covered by dark reddish-brown scales.
Distribution:
This species is widely distributed from southward Gabon across the lower Congo Basin to Angola (Otedoh, 1982; Tuley, 1995; Baker, 2008).
Habitat:
Ecological data on this species is relatively scant but it appears to be a riparian species that requires high rainfall regimes and there are suggestions that it is associated with plant communities at altitudes from 500 to 1000 m.