Raphia monbuttorum

Raphia (rahf-EE-ah) monbuttorum (mohn-boot-TOHR-uhm)
1900. Photo by Walter Busse, Lichtdruck von J.B.Obernetter, München.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Raphia (rahf-EE-ah) Species: monbuttorum (mohn-boot-TOHR-uhm)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Africa
Morphology
Habit: Solitary Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

Mozamb. Dist. Tanganyika: ex Engler. Nile Land British East Africa: Jur; Okel

Uganda, between Kampala and Jinja. Photo by Erich Wiesner.

(Okale), Schweinfurth, 1738! Lakes Albert Edward and Albert Nyanza, ex Engler. South Central Congo Free State: Monbuttu; in the water of the valleys near Munza, Schweinfurth, 3357.

Description

Acaulescent or with a stem up to 5 ft. long. Leaflets irregularly arranged, up to 1 1/4 in. wide. Male flower: Calyx shortly campanulate, 1/4– 1/8 as long as the corolla. Corolla-lobes curved, narrowly lanceolate from a linear base, long acuminate, 9–10 lin. long. Stamens 6, adnate to the base of the corolla-lobes; anthers narrowly linear from a sagittate base, shorter than the filaments; connective shorter at the back than the anther-cells. Female flower scarcely half as long as the male, obtuse and broad. Calyx enclosing, and its teeth overtopping, the short corolla. Staminodes absent. Young fruit long-pointed from an oval base, mature unknown; scales in about 12 rows. (jstor.org), Editing by edric.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b

Comments and Curiosities

There are two sub-species; Raphia monbuttorum var. monbuttorum, and Raphia monbuttorum var. mortehanii.