West African piassava palm

West African piassava palm

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Genus:	Raphia
Species:	R. vinifera
Binomial name
*Raphia vinifera* P.Beauv.
Synonyms
Metroxylon viniferum (P.Beauv.) Spreng. Raphia diasticha Burret Raphia vinifera var. nigerica Otedoh Sagus raphia Poir. Sagus vinifera (P.Beauv.) Pers. Sagus vinifera (P. Beauv.) Poir.

Raphia vinifera, the West African piassava palm,bamboo palm or West African bass fibre is a palm tree species in the genus Raphia. It is native to Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ghana, and Democratic Republic of the Congo ( = Zaire = Congo-Kinshasa). It is particularly abundant along the creeks of Niger Delta, Cross River, Lagos and Ikorodu in Nigeria.

The nut contains bitter oil, which has the property of stupefying fish.