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Raphia farinifer Synonymy: Raphia ruffia Common Names: Rafia Palm, Gebang Palm                 Habitat: The edges of rivers and lakes in Madagascar and East Africa.            Distribution: East and Central Africa, probably introduced into Madagascar   Gebang Palm
photo of multiple items	This palm is a magnificent specimen species, reaching 40-60 feet in height. The leaves of this species, which is a native of Africa, are of the longest in the plant kingdom. It's sister species, Raphia regalis, has the longest leaves of all, reaching up to 75 feet in length, and arising nearly from the ground, as the trunk is quite short.
	You are bidding on * bare root seedlings with vigorous root systems * inches tall with * leaves born and grown in Hawaii.
General:        These palms are the source of raffia fibre, which is made from the leaf bases. Leaves of the Gebang palm are made into umbrellas and books; others provide material for rain capes, baskets, raffia (Raphia farinifera), hats, hammocks, and the fibre known as piassava. Cultivation:            These palms like very wet feet, and a tropical or sub-tropical climate. They are best suited to parks or large gardens, because of their very large size.	A very spectacular palm, with a trunk to about 10 m. The leaves up to 20 m long, (amongst the largest in the plant kingdom), point almost upright. The stems are monocarpic. Their most noticeable feature is their immensely long, stiffly upright leaves. Raphia have the longest leaves in the plant kingdom up to 75 feet long. The leaf bases and petioles are bright orange, and they have pneumatophores (breathing roots) like mangroves, an adaptation for swampy ground. They are very similar in appearance to R. vinifera, the main difference being that R. vinifera is a suckering species, while this one is solitary.
	This is a massive palm having some of the longest leaves in the entire plant kingdom up to 70 feet long and is an important palm from an economic standpoint being the source of 'raphia', or leaf fibre- for making baskets, roofing, building materials, etc. It has very spiny leave edges that rake you every time you try to reach in towards the center of the plant. However, as the plant ages, the leaves become more user friendly. Being known as a very tropical palm from Africa and Madagascar, some people have had success with this palm in So Cal. It is a beautiful palm having deep orange petioles, bright green leaves and some yellow in the rachis.
If you have a large yard and are in Southern California Southern Texas or Southern Florida where this palm thrives, you have to have this palm in your yard. I saw these growing in their habitat all the way down to secluded areas outside of Krugar National Park and they are amazing. They thrive in Cape Town South Africa, which is cooler than southern CA and Texas, so it is definatley hardy. They also have some of the largest leaves in the world, and when the first explorers came through they brought back the leaves of this palm, and said they were feathers from the elephant bird, which is now extinct in Madagascar.    It is difficult to find a palm with greater visual impact- however, it is a tropical palm, and requires a great deal of warmth and humidity to look it's best. Raphia require near constant irrigation, or plant them close to a body of water. If you live in a dry climate, and water conservation is an issue, planting this palm will result in wasting a lot of precious water. I've seen them flourish when grown directly in a bog garden, or adjacent to a river or lake.      .          A female Palmnut Vulture nesting near the top of a Raphia farinifer.          Additional interest to naturalists is the Palmnut Vulture or Vulturine Fish Eagle, Gypohierax angolensis, 3-4 pairs of which nest amongst the Raphia palms in the Mtunzini area in their South African native habitat.        This bird of prey is unique in that its diet is largely vegetarian, comprising particularly the fleshy outer portions from the fruit of palms like the oil palm, Elaeis guineensis , and certain Raphia spp	Raphia farinifer fruits     Raphia Fruit Common Names: Gebang Palm, Raphia Palm Distribution & Habitat:         Their natural distribution is a small area stretching from a few kilometres south of Kosi Bay to about 40 km north of Maputo. They prefer swampy ground, and are found here on seasonally inundated dunes. General:             They provide the home, and food for the palm nut vulture, (the worlds only vegetarian vulture (not quite, they sometimes snack on the occasional small animal), which feeds on this palm's fruit, and that of Elaenis quineensis. Culture:           Likes full sun, and bad drainage. Given these conditions, they are very fast growing, one of the fastest of all palms. If you don't have a swamp, then give them lots of water. Needs at least a sub-tropical climate.
Raphia farinifera           This spectacular palm is a "must have" for any palm collector with a spacious garden.
Polynesian Produce Stand
All good things take time, so I grow my plants and rare palms in my ebay store. Much more to check out or just get a little education on in my store.
Shipping           We ship via USPS Mondays-Wednesday with Delivery confirmation.             All live plants are Inspected By USDA Plant Inspectors before they are shipped to insure you get healthy pest free plants and seeds.    All live plants are shipped bare-root wrapped in moist sphagnum moss to ensure the plant’s healthy transit to you.   ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS!          We can ship live plants to the US only. Only Domestic Shipping and Handling includes USDA Certification. We ship Seeds Internationally.   All International shipments are at Buyer's Risk. Please spend no more more than you can lose!      Proper Permits and Documents are the BUYER's responsibility. Please request any documents prior to shipping.          For foreign customers, please check your laws concerning permitting and customs, additional shipping and handling costs may apply.          The additional charge for any Phytosanitary Certificate is not included in this offer.    INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ON LIVE PLANTS is available only under these conditions!       All international orders are shipped at the BUYER's RISK  (shipped with or without documents) and no refunds or replacements are offered for Dead On Arrival, loss, confiscation, Customs Seizure, unanticipated charges, etc.	Payment             We accept online payments only through PayPal, Cash payments are only acceptable for in-person payments and cash-on-delivery (COD). Cash payment can not be sent through the mail.       Please only one Paypal payment. SO THE COMBINED SHIPPING RULE WILL CAN BE USED. Multiple paypal payments are NOT eligible for discounts.         We will ship once a week - ON or BEFORE WEDNESDAYS, because of the special stamps needed to ship plants and cuttings to you.  This can only be done at the Dept. of Agriculture.  If payments are not met before that MONDAY, your items will be shipped the following week and lose the combined discount opportunity.          Non-paying bidders may receive negative feedback and will be reported as an unpaid item to eBay.   COMBINED SHIPPING POLICY INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING is not included in this offer.   See INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ON LIVE PLANTS         We will combine shipping for auctions won on the same week paid with same paypal payment.    This policy is good for all items bought and paid for in the week ending MONDAY. Payment must be received within 7 days of the auction ending. Combined Discounts Won Auctions      For 2-3 winning auctions, the combined discount is 10% of the total Shipping and Handling charges. For 4-7 winning auctions, the combined discount is 20% of the total Shipping and Handling charges. For 7+ winning auctions, the combined discount is 30% of the total Shipping and Handling charges.          As each order is packed and prepared separately you will pay the quoted S/H charges individually per item. If you buy the same species in that item it does calculate out the discount (i.e.: additional item $3.61). My stores' combined shipping is built in for same items rather than a varied selection. Includes postage, USDA certification and inspection, proper packing and delivery to Airport for prompt delivery. I can’t really change any of these. If you want one of this and one of that, it gets hard to discount much as each different species requires it's own prep & packing, then at USDA each has to be unwrapped and inspected then repacked. USDA requires me to clean and prepare every last piece before we drive them to the Inspection Station on the other side of the island. It takes my wife and I, a day to pack items and get ready to ship. The whole next day we drive around the island and get inspected (2-3 hours), then drive to the Airport Post Office to drop off. It takes the same work with the same type item if you can understand.
my dog Taz will fetch your email to me If you are dissatisfied with the item, please contact me    before leaving a negative or neutral comment. I want you to be satisfied. Mahalo iâ `oe no ke kipa `ana mai. E kipa mai hou! Mahalo & Aloha!!	Rare Palm Seeds Fresh Highest Quality          Seller warrants seed to be of the variety and quantity advertised. Safe delivery is guaranteed and seeds lost or damaged during shipment will be replaced at seller's expense. Claims must be made within 7 days of shipment. All other replacements, refunds, returns and exchanges will be made at the sole discretion of the seller.   Seed is a live product which depends on many important related grower skills such as proper planting time, seed depth, type of soil, irrigation, proper use of fertilizers, weed controls, fungicides, insecticides, disease free soil, and reasonable weather conditions during the growing period. Germination is affected by such factors as temperature, moisture content, light intensity and contamination of planting media. These factors are totally out of the seller's control and are the buyer's responsibility and risk. Consequentially, the seller cannot unconditionally guarantee seed to perform properly regardless of conditions or the buyer's methods or mistakes.

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On Aug-01-11 at 15:05:57 PDT, seller added the following information: