Dried Raffia Palm Nuts, dried Raffia Palm Fruit, dried raffia seeds (Raphia farinifera) – 1kg (35 oz)

Whole Sun-Dried Raffia Palm Nuts for Sale

We now have raffia palm nuts for sale by the kilogram: whole, sun-dried seeds of Raphia farinifera, the great raffia palm of tropical Africa.

Each nut is sheathed in the overlapping, glossy scales that make this fruit instantly recognisable: a lacquered amber-brown surface that looks less like a seed than like something carved. No two are identical.

These are the same nuts gathered in the raffia groves of West and Central Africa, where the palm has been a cornerstone of village life for centuries. We buy at the source, dry in the sun, and ship whole.

What Raffia Palm Nuts Actually Are

The raffia palm produces one of the most extraordinary fruits in the plant kingdom. A single stem grows for twenty to thirty years, flowers once, sets its entire crop of fruit at the same time, and then dies — the whole life of the tree spent on one harvest.

The fruit is oblong, roughly 5–10 cm long, and covered in tightly imbricated scales like the plates of a pangolin. Inside sits the hard, dense seed.

It is this combination of a sculptural exterior and a solid, workable core that makes dried raffia palm nuts so sought after outside their native range.

They are sometimes confused with oil palm nuts (Elaeis guineensis), the soft, orange-fleshed fruit used to make palm oil and banga soup. They are not the same plant, not the same shape, and not the same material. Raffia nuts are scaled, hard, and slow-growing; oil palm nuts are smooth and fleshy.

What People Use Them For

• Natural décor. Bowl and vase filler, mantel and shelf styling, terrarium and shadow-box work. The scaled surface reads as texture from across a room.
• Craft and carving. The dense inner kernel takes a cut, a sand and a polish. Carvers, turners and bead-makers use hard palm seeds as a plant-based alternative to ivory-like materials.
• Floristry and event styling. Dried arrangements, wreaths, table installations, and tropical or safari-themed events.
• Botanical and ethnobotanical collections. Museums, teaching collections, seed libraries, and private collectors of unusual palm specimens.
• Cultural and ceremonial use. The raffia palm is deeply woven into Cameroonian, Nigerian, and Congolese tradition — from raffia cloth to palm wine — and diaspora customers order the nuts for cultural and heritage purposes.

Why Buy Your Raffia Palm Nuts From BaobabMart

Bought at origin. We work directly with harvesters in Africa rather than buying from a re-export warehouse. That means fresher stock, traceable sourcing, and money that reaches the people who did the harvesting.

Sun-dried, not force-dried. The nuts are dried in the open air over several days. Slow drying preserves the shell’s natural gloss and colour instead of dulling and cracking it the way kiln heat does.

Whole and unsorted for character. We don’t polish, dye, lacquer, or uniformly grade. You receive them as the palm produced them; cleaned and dried, variation in size and tone is the point.

Real quantities. Available from a 1kg bag for a single project up to bulk volumes for florists, craft suppliers, retailers and institutions. Ordering over 50kg? Request a shipping quote, and we’ll price the freight properly rather than making you pay parcel rates.

Shipped from local hubs. Stock moves in bulk to our warehouses in the USA, Germany and Belgium, and then ships to you domestically. Most US orders arrive in a few days, not a few weeks.

Storage and Care

Dried raffia palm nuts are stable and long-lasting, but they are a natural material and will respond to their environment.

• Keep in a dry place at room temperature.
• Avoid damp rooms, bathrooms, and unheated garages — sustained humidity can raise surface mould on any dried botanical.
• Keep out of prolonged direct sunlight, which will fade the amber tone over months.
• Handle with dry hands; wipe with a dry cloth rather than washing.
• If you plan to carve or drill, let the nuts acclimatise indoors for a week first so the moisture content settles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are raffia palm nuts used for?

Most commonly for natural décor, floristry, and craft and carving projects, where the scaled shell and dense kernel are prized. They are also collected as botanical specimens and used in cultural and ceremonial contexts across West and Central Africa.

What is Raphia farinifera?

It is the botanical name for the raffia palm, a large African palm best known for producing raffia fibre, palm wine, and these distinctive scaled fruits. It grows across a wide band of tropical Africa, from Senegal through Cameroon and Nigeria to Tanzania and Mozambique.

Are raffia palm nuts the same as palm kernel or oil palm nuts?

No. Oil palm nuts come from Elaeis guineensis and are the source of palm oil and palm kernel oil. Raffia palm nuts come from a different genus entirely and look completely different, scaled and hard rather than smooth and fleshy.

How big is each nut?

Typically 5–10 cm long. Because these are a natural product, size and colour vary from nut to nut, and a 1kg bag will contain a mix.

How many nuts are in 1kg?

It varies with size, but expect a generous handful-and-then-some, enough for a full decorative bowl or a batch of craft pieces. Contact us if you need an exact count for a project.

Can I order more than 1kg?

Yes. We supply from 1kg upward, with tiered pricing on bulk orders and freight quotes on anything above 50kg.

Where do you ship from?

We hold stock in the USA and Belgium and ship domestically from there, so most orders arrive far faster than direct-from-Africa shipping.

Order Your Raffia Palm Nuts Today

Whole, sun-dried, single-origin, and genuinely hard to find anywhere else at this quality. Add a 1kg bag to your cart, or get in touch for bulk pricing.

Pair them with our other natural African materials under Art & Craft, Home & Living, and Seeds & Nuts.