The genus Raphia (Palmae / Arecaceae) contains 22 species and represents a major multiuse resource across tropical Africa and Madagascar. Raphia species provide goods that range from food to construction material and medicine. Its species play a vital cultural role in African societies. Despite its importance, the taxonomy, ecology, and ethnobotany of this genus remain poorly understood. Here, we review the multiplicity of uses, products and cultural importance of Raphia species across its distribution. We provide a near exhaustive list of all products derived from Raphia species, classified by species and major use categories. We record nearly 100 different uses, traded and commercialized at local, regional, and national levels. Most species have several uses. Raphia wine is the most important product, followed by grubs and fiber extraction. Our review improves our understanding of the uses and cultural importance of Raphia species. If Raphia resources are managed responsibly, they will contribute to alleviate poverty, fight against hunger and conserve tropical biodiversity, especially in Africa.

Raphia属（Palmae / Arecaceae）共有22种，代表了整个热带非洲和马达加斯加的主要多用途资源。phi种类提供从食品到建筑材料和药物的商品。它的种类在非洲社会中起着至关重要的文化作用。尽管它很重要，但对该属的分类学，生态学和民族植物学仍然知之甚少。在这里，我们回顾了螺属物种在其分布范围内的用途，产品和文化重要性。我们提供了来自Raphia的所有产品的几乎详尽的清单种类，按种类和主要用途类别分类。我们记录了近100种不同用途，在地方，区域和国家各级进行了贸易和商业化。大多数物种有多种用途。Raphia葡萄酒是最重要的产品，其次是g和纤维提取。我们的审查增进了我们对Ra的用途和文化重要性的理解。如果对Raphia资源进行负责任的管理，它们将有助于减轻贫困，与饥饿作斗争并保护热带生物多样性，特别是在非洲。