Raphia regalis

About

Raphia regalis is a species of flowering plant in the palm family Arecaceae. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Nigeria. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. Raphia regalis has extraordinarily large leaves. Botanist/ecologist Francis Halle encountered a specimen in the Republic of Congo bearing a frond 25.91 m (85.0 ft) total length, of which 16.47 m (54.0 ft) is the blade or lamina while 9.44 m (31.0 ft) is the stalk or petiole, of which 80 cm (31 in) was below soil level. This is the second longest petiole to be reported after Musa ingens. These near-vertical fronds are arranged in the very rare 1/4 phyllotaxy.

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