Raphia ruwenzorica

Raphia ruwenzorica
Highland Raffia Palm

A moderate sized species native to the highlands of eastern Africa in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and neighboring areas of the Dem. Rep. of Congo, where it is found in moist valley bottoms between 800 and 1200 m, sharing a habitat with the famous mountain gorillas. It forms a solitary trunk to 10 m tall, mostly covered in the persistent leafbases. The leafbases produce copious amounts of long, brown fibers. The lightly plumose, ascending to arching leaves are shorter than in most Raphia, forming a denser, more spreading crown, and consist of up to 150 broad leaflets that are dark green above and an attractive waxy white grey below. The short petioles as well as the leaf midrib are a brilliant yellowish orange color and are the highlight of this palm. It has one of the largest fruits in the genus, up to 13 cm long, covered in attractive, snakeskin-like scales. The Highland Raffia Palm is apparently unknown in cultivation outside of Africa so far but will surely grow well in many warm temperate and all tropical climates

germination comments by our visitors
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Seeds from this species ...

... are very difficult to germinate and need up to 1 year to sprout.
I bought 20 new seeds from RPS . I soak them all in warm water for 2 days and then laid them all in the pot with 5 inch deep. Put the pot into big white plastic bag for high temperature and humidity.The first seed sprouted after 6 months later.
Submitted on 12/03/2008 by Jakkrit Jakkrit_Mn@yahoo.com


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plant cultivation comments by our visitors
Also see germination commnets above.

Plants from this species ...

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If you wish to read more on palm cultivation, we highly recommend Ornamental Palm Horticulture by Timothy K. Broschat and Alan W. Meerow, available in our bookshop.

Ratings and comments reflect individual experiences and the views of our visitors. They do not necessarily describe the most appropriate methods, nor are they necessarily valid for all seeds or plants of this species. Germination and plant cultivation success depends on many different factors; nevertheless, these experiences will hopefully aid you in your effort to get the best germination results from our seeds and the best growth results from your plants.

We recommend:

Martius, Book of Palms
by H. Walter Lack

Hardcover - 450 pages
19.8 x 13.5 inches!
11.1 pounds!
50 x 34 cm, 5 kg

Our Rating:

Suitable for: all

Martius's magnificent work on the varieties of palm tree. This epic folio was based on Martius's expedition to Brazil and Peru with zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix. From 1817 to 1820 the pair travelled over 2,250 km (1,400 miles) throughout the Amazon Basin, the most species-rich palm region in the world, collecting and sketching specimens.
In his epic work, Martius outlined the modern classification of palm, produced the first maps of palm biogeography, described all the palms of Brazil, and collated the sum of all known genera of the palm family. For apart from his own collection of specimens and notes, Martius also wrote about the findings of others.
Martius's folio is unusual in its inclusion of cross-sectioned diagrams, conveying the architecture of these mighty trees. Equally remarkable are the color landscapes showing various palms—often standing alone—which have a simple and elegant beauty. This famous work is an unrivaled landmark in botanic illustration and taxonomy.

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