''Areca catechu'' is a species of palm which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. The palm is believed to have originated in the Philippines, but is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in southern China (

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

), Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, the

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, many of the islands in the Pacific Ocean, and also in the West Indies.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> Common names in English include areca palm, areca nut palm, betel palm, betel nut palm, Indian nut, Pinang palm and catechu. In English this palm is called the betel tree because its fruit, the areca nut, is often chewed along with the betel leaf, a leaf from a vine of the family

Piperaceae The Piperaceae (), also known as the pepper family, are a large family of flowering plants. The group contains roughly 3,600 currently accepted species in 5 genera. The vast majority of species can be found within the two main genera: '' Piper' ...

Characteristics

Growth

''Areca catechu'' is a medium-sized palm

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

, growing straight to tall, with a trunk in diameter. The leaves are long, pinnate, with numerous, crowded leaflets.

Chemical composition

The seed contains

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of simila ...

s such as arecaidine and arecoline, which, when chewed, are intoxicating and slightly addictive. Areca palms are grown in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and many other Asian countries for their seeds. The seed also contains condensed tannins ( procyanidins) called

arecatannins Arecatannins are a class of condensed tannins in the sub-class procyanidins contained in the seeds of ''Areca catechu'' also called betel nut. The arecatannin-type natural products from Ceylonese cassia bark and Areca seed are examples polyphenols b ...

which are carcinogenic.

Uses

''Areca catechu'' is grown for its commercially important seed crop, the areca nut. The areca nut is also popular for chewing throughout some Asian countries, such as China, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, and India and the Pacific Islands, notably Papua New Guinea, where it is very popular. Chewing areca nut is quite popular among working classes in Taiwan. The nut itself can be addictive and has direct link to

oral cancers Oral cancer, also known as mouth cancer, is cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless white patch, that thickens, develops red patches, an ulcer, and continues to grow. When on ...

. Chewing areca nut is a cause of oral submucous fibrosis, a premalignant lesion which frequently progresses to mouth cancer. Areca nuts in Taiwan will usually contain artificial additives such as limestone powder. The extract of ''Areca catechu'' may be addictive. The areca palm is also used as an interior landscaping species. It is often used in large indoor areas such as malls and hotels. It will not fruit or reach full size if grown in this way. Indoors, it is a slow growing, low water, high light plant that is sensitive to spider mites and occasionally mealybugs. In India the dry, fallen leaves are collected and hot-pressed into disposable palm leaf plates and bowls.Palm Leaf Plates
on the website TheWholeLeafCo.dom; viewed in September 2016

Relationship with humans

Names of places

The areca nut is important in the Austronesian civilization, especially in the modern day Indonesia and Malaysia. Actually, there are numerous city and areal names in Indonesia and Malaysia using the words ''pinang'', ''jambi'' or ''jambe'' (areca in Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, and Old Malay). For example, the cities of

Tanjung Pinang Tanjungpinang, also written as Tanjung Pinang, is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. It covers a land area of 144.56 km2, mainly on the southern Bintan Island, as well as other smaller islands such as Dompak Islan ...

, Pangkal Pinang in Indonesia, the Indonesian province of Jambi and

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the M ...

Island (''Pulau Pinang'') off the west coast of

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...

. Fua Mulaku in the Maldives,

Guwahati Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

, and coastal areas of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

and

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

in India, are also some of the places named after a local name for areca nut.

Gallery

File:Areca catechu palm.jpg, Flowers, fruits and buds in a single frame File:Betel nut palm trunk.jpg, Betel nut palm trunk File:Buds of Areca catechu.jpg, New buds of ''Areca catechu'' Image:Areca_catechu_Forest.JPG, An ''Areca catechu'' plantation in Taiwan Image:Palm I IMG 2108.jpg, Areca palm at Kolkata, West Bengal, India Image:Palm I IMG 2081.jpg, Areca palm at Kolkata, West Bengal, India Image:Areca catechu nuts at Kadavoor.jpg, Areca palm fruit at

, India Image:Betel_nuts3.jpg, Areca nuts from India Image:Areca catechu Blanco2.350.png, ''Flora de Filipinas'' Image:Areca farm.jpg, ''Areca catechu'' farm in

, India File:BuahPinangMuda.jpg, Young "betel" nuts in Malaysia File:Flag of Penang (Malaysia).svg, Areca nut at

's flag File:সুপারি.jpg, Areca catechu of Bangladesh File:Hat palathoppi.jpg, Hat palathoppi (Outer view) made of the leaf of Areca catechu in Kerala File:Hat palathoppi kerala.jpg, Hat_ palathoppi (inner view) made of the leaf of Areca catechu in Kerala Old Bagan, Myanmar, Paan, the betel leaf and areca nut.jpg, Areca nut in Paan preparation, Myanmar

References

External links

Plant Cultures: Betelnut botany and history

''Areca catechu'' List of Chemicals (Dr. Duke's)

{{Taxonbar, from=Q156969

catechu ( or ) is an extract of acacia trees used variously as a food additive, astringent, tannin, and dye. It is extracted from several species of ''Acacia'', but especially ''Senegalia catechu'' (''Acacia catechu''), by boiling the wood in wate ...

Tropical fruit Fruits originating in Asia Flora of the Philippines Medicinal plants of Asia Garden plants of Asia House plants Ornamental trees Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus