Raphia laurentii De Wild. (De Wildeman 1905: 26) Figs 12, 13 Description. Palms about 2–5 m high, gregarious with several individuals forming a monodominant stand. Stipes clustered with 2–3 stipes joined at the base. Fibres blackish, flattened, long and upward pointing, 1.60 m in length and 5–8 mm wide. Leaves intertwined from the base and obscuring the stipe, 9.46–12.20 m long. Petiole 2.35–4.25 m long, adaxially channelled from the base to almost the middle then cylindrical or fully channelled, not spiny; DP 30 between 6.7–9.7 cm. Rachis 5.79–8.29 m long, cylindrical or only adaxially channelled in the first few centimetres then forming a bumped and flat ventral ridge having spines on the two sides and then converge onto a single and prominent ridge. Leaflets 1.42–1.68 m × 4.5–6.8 cm, 5–14 in the R 0-30 area of the rachis, dark green above and silvery below, with marginal (on blade margin) and dorsal (on main vein) spines. Inflorescences 2–3 (– 4) per individual, semi-erected when young then curving downward. Fruits broadly ellipsoid to oblong, 6.2–8.8 × 4–5 cm, green when immature and yellow-orange when mature, with a 4–7 mm long beak. Ecology. Permanently flooded swamps, in some areas in Likouala forming very large stands, mostly away from the rivers. In the Sangha Trinational it occurs close to small streams, sometimes within 100 m of Raphia hookeri, but on soil with a slightly lower water table than R. hookeri. It is cultivated in a few villages such as Lékana on tierra firme. In the Republic of the Congo, the species flowers and fruits in August. Distribution. Angola, Gabon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Harris 2002; Mbandu Luzolawo et al. 2020; Mogue Kamga et al. 2019); in the Republic of the Congo: Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Likouala, Plateaux. IUCN conservation assessment. Raphia laurentii was assessed by Cosiaux et al. (2018 c) as Least Concern (LC). Uses. The sap is tapped and used to make Raphia wine called Tsam (Cuvette, Plateaux). The petiole is used as laths to make the framework of huts, and the frame of hut walls. The hardened and smooth parts of the petiole and rachis are used to make the two sticks that make up the skeleton which will be combined with the leaflets to form thatch roofing tiles. The pulp of the fruit is used to make the red oil called “ Mbayaka ” by the Moyis (Cuvette). Silou et al. (2000) provided details on physico-chemical characteristics and fatty acid composition of its oil. The cooked pulp is edible and is called “ pandé ” in Kouyou and Mbochi (Cuvette). “ Pandé ” is also used in Mbochi for the cooked pulp from R. hookeri. Vernacular names. Mabuku in Ngombe (Sangha); Baya, plural Abaya, in Téké (Cuvette-Ouest); Ivougou in Makoua (Cuvette); Ibouhou in Kouyou and Mbochi (Cuvette), plural Abouhou, in Mbochi (Cuvette); Liboungou in Mbenzele (Likouala). Notes. Raphia laurentii resembles Raphia monbuttorum Drude in the straight and pointed fibres as well as the inflorescences semi-erect when young (Couvreur and Sunderland 2022; Mogue Kamga et al. 2019). Based on inflorescences, the main difference between the two species seems to be in the second order rachillae. The second order rachillae in R. laurentii are digitate, flattened and 16–21 cm long whereas in R. monbuttorum they are non-digitate, roundish to circular and 5–7 cm long (Mogue Kamga et al. 2019). We suggest that many new collections of the different stages of inflorescence development might help clarify the situation. Specimen examined. Republic of the Congo. • Cuvette. Makoua, 00°00.16'S, 015°36.07'E, 338 m, 21 Aug 2019, Ndolo Ebika 2728 (HICPC); • Cuvette-Ouest. Kébouya, 01°08.65'S, 014°56.79'E, 394 m, 17 Aug 2019, Ndolo Ebika 2708 (HICPC); • Likouala. Bonguinda, 02°20.38'N, 017°29.10'E, 359 m, 31 Aug 2018, Ndolo Ebika 2429 (HICPC); • Plateaux. Lékana, 02°19.25'S, 014°35.66'E, 807 m, 13 Aug 2019, Ndolo Ebika 2706 (HICPC).

Published as part of Ndolo Ebika, Sydney T., Bouka, Gaël U. D., Harris, David J. & Elenga, Raymond G., 2026, Synopsis of the genus Raphia P. Beauv. (Arecaceae, Calamoideae) in the Republic of the Congo, pp. 37-71 in PhytoKeys 271 on pages 37-71, DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.271.174506