Areca catechu

Not to be confused with Dypsis lutescens or Borassus flabellifer.

Areca catechu
Betel nuts
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Areca
Species:
A. catechu
Binomial name
Areca catechu
Synonyms[2]
  • Areca faufel Gaertn.
  • Areca hortensis Lour.
  • Areca cathechu Burm.f.
  • Areca catechu f. communis Becc.
  • Areca catechu var. alba Blume
  • Areca catechu var. batanensis Becc.
  • Areca catechu var. longicarpa Becc.
  • Areca catechu var. nigra Giseke
  • Areca catechu var. silvatica Becc.
  • Areca himalayana Griff. ex H.Wendl.
  • Areca macrocarpa Becc.
  • Areca nigra Giseke ex H.Wendl.
  • Sublimia areca Comm. ex Mart.

Areca catechu is a species of palm native to the Philippines cultivated for areca nuts.[1][3][2] It was carried widely through the tropics by the Austronesian migrations and trade since at least 1500 BCE due to its use in betel nut chewing.[3] It is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Taiwan, Madagascar, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, southern China (Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan), India, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, parts of the Pacific Islands, and also in the West Indies.[4][5]

Its fruits (called areca nuts or betel nuts) are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects.

  1. ^ a b "Areca catechu". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  2. ^ a b "Areca catechu L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b Zumbroich TJ (2007–2008). "The origin and diffusion of betel chewing: a synthesis of evidence from South Asia, Southeast Asia and beyond". eJournal of Indian Medicine. 1: 87–140.
  4. ^ Jones, D. (2001), Palms Throughout The World, Reed New Holland, Australia.
  5. ^
    Baker W, Dransfield J (2016). "Beyond Genera Palmarum: progress and prospects in palm systematics". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 182 (2). Oxford University Press: 207–233. doi:10.1111/boj.12401. ISSN 0024-4074. S2CID 88254797.
    This review cites this research.
    Heatubun C, Dransfield J, Flynn T, Tjitrosoedirdjo S, Mogea J, Baker W (2011). "A monograph of the betel nut palms (Areca: Arecaceae) of East Malesia". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 168 (2). Oxford University Press: 147–173. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2011.01199.x. ISSN 0024-4074. S2CID 82477722.