What is "raffia palm"

Raffia palm \Raf"fi*a palm\ (r[a^]f"f[i^]*[.a] p[aum]m`).

1. A pinnate-leaved palm ( Raphia ruffia) native of Madagascar, and of considerable economic importance on account of the strong fiber (raffia) obtained from its leafstalks.

2. The jupati palm.

n. a large feather palm of Africa and Madagascar having very long pinnatisect fronds yielding a strong commercially important fiber from its leafstalks [syn: Raffia farinifera, Raffia ruffia]

The Raffia palms (Raphia) are a genus of about twenty species of palms native to tropical regions of Africa, and especially Madagascar, with one species (R. taedigera) also occurring in Central and South America. They are the source of raffia fibers, which are the veins of the leaves.

They grow up to 16 m (52.5 ft) tall and are remarkable for their compound pinnate leaves, the longest in the plant kingdom; leaves of R. regalis up to 25 m (82.38 ft) long and 3 m (9.84 ft) wide are known. The plants are either monocarpic, flowering once and then dying after the seeds are mature, or hapaxanthic. Some species have individual stems which die after fruiting, but have a root system which remains alive and sends up new stems which fruit.