Aloha Allure

The  Raffia palms  ( Raphia ) are a  genus  of twenty species of  palms  native to tropical regions of  Africa , especially Madagascar , with one species ( R. taedigera ) also occurring in  Central  and  South America . They grow up to 16 m tall and are remarkable for their compound pinnate  leaves , the longest in the plant kingdom; leaves of  R. regalis  up to 25.11 m long [1]  and 3 m wide are known. The plants are either  monocarpic , flowering once and then dying after the seeds are mature, or  hapaxanthic , with individual stems dying after fruiting but the root system remaining alive and sending up new stems. Raffia fibres have many uses, especially in the area of  textiles  and in construction. In their local environments, they are used for ropes, sticks and supporting beams, and various roof coverings are made out of its fibrous branches and leaves. The membrane on the underside of e...