Kosi Palm

Raphia australis, the Kosi palm, is a massive solitary palm native to southern Mozambique and KwaZulu-Natal. Botanical sources describe it in seasonally inundated coastal dunes and swamp forest, with fronds that can extend many metres and a mature height around 16 metres ([SANBI profile](https://pza.sanbi.org/raphia-australis), [Kew taxonomy](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:669499-1/general-information), [NParks profile](https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/2/6/2674)). Reserve it for a warm, spacious landscape where its immense crown and long leaves have ample clearance from buildings and overhead lines. It is best treated as a bold specimen for a large tropical or subtropical site, rather than as a small patio palm. Its natural setting is wet and warm, and the palm is associated with the palm-nut vulture, which feeds on its fruit. The species is monocarpic: after many years it flowers once, sets fruit, and dies, so allow for a future replacement when choosing a permanent position. ## Maintenance Provide a warm, sheltered site with abundant moisture and full sun. Keep the root zone consistently damp, especially during establishment, and allow the soil to drain between periods of saturation; leave generous space for the adult crown and its eventual flowering stalk.