Raffia palm is a native to tropical Africa and has the largest leaves in the world which can grow as long as 80 ft!

Raffia fibres have many uses, especially in the area of textiles and in construction. In their local environments, they are used for ropes, sticks, supporting beams and various roof coverings are made out of its fibrous branches and leaves. The membrane on the underside of each individual frond leaf is taken off to create a long thin fibre which can be dyed and woven as a textile into products ranging from hats to shoes to decorative mats. Plain raffia fibres are exported and used as garden ties or as a “natural” string in many countries. Especially when one wishes to graft trees, raffia is used to hold plant parts together as this natural rope has many benefits for this purpose. Its tough and yet very flexible and resilient leaf petioles are employed, instead of bamboo, to build houses and make various kinds of furniture. Sago, a kind of flour, is extracted from the stem pith which is extremely rich in starch.

Categories: Plants