''Areca'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of 51 species of

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (b ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Arecaceae, found in humid

tropical forest Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds. Some tropical fo ...

s from the islands of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, across

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name used locally on the

Malabar Coast The Malabar Coast is the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing ...

Usage

Khichdi Prasadam in Donna (Iskcon Bangalore)

The best-known member of the genus is '' A. catechu'', the

areca nut ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

palm. Several species of areca nuts, known for their bitter and tangy taste, raw or dried, are routinely used for chewing, especially in combination with the leaves of

betel The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plan ...

and dried leaves of

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ch ...

. Areca nut is also popularly referred to as betel nut because of its usage for chewing with

leaves. In Assam, areca nut is also known as ''tamul'' in the local dialect.

Species

(51 species) *'' Areca abdulrahmanii'' J.Dransf. *'' Areca ahmadii'' J.Dransf. *'' Areca andersonii'' J.Dransf. *''

Areca gandamatu ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Sultan Mardan Plantation *''

Areca arundinacea ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Becc. *''

Areca brachypoda ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' J.Dransf. *''

Areca caliso ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Becc. *''

Areca camarinensis ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Becc. *''

Areca catechu ''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 sou ...

'' L. *''

Areca celebica ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Burret *''

Areca chaiana ''Areca chaiana'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is a tree endemic to Borneo. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natu ...

'' J.Dransf. *''

Areca concinna ''Areca concinna'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is found only in Sri Lanka. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natu ...

'' Thwaites *''

Areca congesta ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Becc. *'' Areca costulata'' Becc. *''

Areca dayung ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' J.Dransf. *'' Areca furcata'' Becc. *'' Areca glandiformis'' Lam. *'' Areca guppyana'' Becc. *'' Areca gurita'' Heatubun *'' Areca hutchinsoniana'' Becc. *'' Areca insignis'' (Becc.) J.Dransf. *'' Areca ipot'' Becc. *'' Areca jobiensis'' Becc. *'' Areca jugahpunya'' J.Dransf. *'' Areca kinabaluensis'' Furtado *''

Areca klingkangensis ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of Arecaceae, palms in the family (biology), family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Are ...

'' J.Dransf. *'' Areca laosensis'' Becc. *'' Areca ledermanniana'' Becc. *'' Areca macrocalyx'' Zipp. ''ex'' Blume *''

Areca macrocarpa ''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 sou ...

'' Becc. *''

Areca minuta ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Scheff. *'' Areca montana'' Ridl. *''

Areca multifida ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Burret *'' Areca nannospadix'' Burret *''

Areca nigasolu ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Becc. *''

Areca novohibernica ''Areca novohibernica'' is a plant species native to the Solomon Islands and the Bismarck Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean east of New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-l ...

'' (Lauterb.) Becc. *''

Areca oxycarpa ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Miq. *'' Areca parens'' Becc. *''

Areca rechingeriana ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Becc. *'' Areca rheophytica'' J.Dransf. *'' Areca ridleyana'' Becc. ''ex'' Furtado *'' Areca rostrata'' Burret *''

Areca salomonensis ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' Burret *'' Areca subacaulis'' (Becc.) J.Dransf. *'' Areca torulo'' Becc. *''

Areca triandra ''Areca triandra'', the wild areca palm, is a Arecaceae, palm which is often used as ornamental plant. It is native to India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. It is also reportedly na ...

'' Roxb. ''ex'' Buch.-Ham. *''

Areca tunku ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

'' J.Dransf. & C.K.Lim *'' Areca vestiaria'' Giseke *'' Areca vidaliana'' Becc. *'' Areca warburgiana'' Becc. *''

Areca whitfordii ''Areca whitfordii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is found only in the Philippines. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by whic ...

'' Becc. File:Areca vestiaria.JPG, '' Areca vestiaria''

References

Arecaceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Areceae-stub

Usage

Species

See also

References