>Plague at 12:27, 27 June 2021

2021-06-27T12:27:09Z

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{{Short description|Species of palm}}
{{distinguish|Dypsis lutescens}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Beetle_palm_with_nut_bunch.jpg
|image_caption = Fruiting specimen
|genus = Areca
|species = catechu
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]<ref name=GRIN>{{GRIN | access-date=2008-03-02}}</ref>
|synonyms_ref = <ref name=svetlana/>
|synonyms = *''Areca faufel'' Gaertn.
*''Areca hortensis'' Lour.
*''Areca cathechu'' Burm.f.
*''Sublimia areca'' Comm. ex Mart.
*''Areca himalayana'' Griff. ex H.Wendl.
*''Areca nigra'' Giseke ex H.Wendl.
*''Areca macrocarpa'' [[Odoardo Beccari|Becc.]]
}}

'''''Areca catechu''''' is a species of [[Arecaceae|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,<ref name=GRIN/> but is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in southern China ([[Guangxi]], [[Hainan]], [[Yunnan]]), Taiwan, India, Bangladesh, the [[Maldives]], Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, many of the islands in the Pacific Ocean, and also in the West Indies.<ref name=svetlana>[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=14517 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]</ref><ref>Jones, D. (2001), ''Palms Throughout The World'', Reed New Holland, Australia.</ref><ref>Heatubun, C.D., Dransfield, J., Flynn, T., Tjitrosoedirdjo, S.S., Mogea, J.P. & Baker, W.J. (2012). A monograph of the betel nut palms (Areca: Arecaceae) of East Malesia. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 168: 147-173.</ref>

Common names in English include '''areca palm''', '''areca nut palm''', '''betel palm''', '''betel nut palm''', '''Indian nut''', '''Pinang palm''' and '''catechu'''.<ref name=GRIN/> In English this palm is called the '''betel tree''' because its fruit, the [[areca nut]], is often [[paan|chewed along]] with the [[Betel|betel leaf]], a leaf from a vine of the family [[Piperaceae]].

==Growth==
''Areca catechu'' is a medium-sized palm [[tree]], growing straight to {{convert|20|m|abbr=on}} tall, with a trunk {{convert|10–15|cm|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} in diameter. The [[leaf|leaves]] are {{convert|1.5–2|m|ft|abbr=on}} long, pinnate, with numerous, crowded leaflets.

==Characteristics==
[[Image:Areca catechu - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-014.jpg|thumb|left|19th century drawing of ''Areca catechu'']]
''Areca catechu'' is grown for its commercially important seed crop, the areca nut.

The cities of [[Tanjung Pinang]], [[Pangkal Pinang]] in Indonesia, the Indonesian province of [[Jambi]] (jambi or jambe is areca in [[Javanese language|Javanese]], [[Sundanese language|Sundanese]], [[Balinese language|Balinese]], and [[Old Malay]]), [[Penang]] Island, off the west coast of [[Peninsular Malaysia]], [[Fua Mulaku]] in the Maldives, [[Guwahati]] in [[Assam]], and coastal areas of [[Kerala]] and [[Karnataka]] in India, are some of the places named after a local name for areca nut. Actually, there are numerous city and areal names in Indonesia and Malaysia using the words pinang or [[jambe]]. This shows how important areca nut is in the [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]] civilization, especially in the modern day Indonesia or Malaysia.

===Chemical composition===
The seed contains [[alkaloid]]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]]<ref>{{cite journal |title=Screening of various plant extracts used in ayurvedic medicine for inhibitory effects on human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease |first1=Ines Tomoco |last1=Kusumoto |first2=Takeshi |last2=Nakabayashi |first3=Hiroaki |last3=Kida |first4=Hirotsugu |last4=Miyashiro |first5=Masao |last5=Hattori |first6=Tsuneo |last6=Namba |first7=Kunitada |last7=Shimotohno |journal=Phytotherapy Research |volume=9 |issue=3 |year=1995 |pages=180–184 |doi=10.1002/ptr.2650090305 |s2cid=84577539 }}</ref> which are carcinogenic.

==Uses==
[[File:Areca-nut palms at Ponda, Goa.jpg|thumb|Intensive farming of ''Areca catechu'' at a spice plantation in [[Curti, Goa]].]]

{{main|Areca nut}}

The areca nut is also popular for chewing throughout some Asian countries, such as China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, 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]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Thomas and MacLennan|year=1992|title = Slaked lime and betel nut cancer in Papua New Guinea|journal=The Lancet|volume= 340|issue= 8819|pages= 577–578|doi= 10.1016/0140-6736(92)92109-S|pmid=1355157|s2cid=34296427}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author= Hemantha Amarasinghe|year= 2010|title= Betel-quid chewing with or without tobacco is a major risk factor for oral potentially malignant disorders in Sri Lanka: A case-control study|journal= Oral Oncology|volume= 46|issue= 4|pages= 297–301|doi= 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2010.01.017|pmid=20189448}}</ref> Areca nuts in Taiwan will usually contain artificial additives such as limestone powder. The extract of ''Areca catechu'' may be addictive.<ref>{{cite book|author=Marcello Spinella|title=The psychopharmacology of herbal medicine: plant drugs that alter mind, brain, and behavior|url=https://archive.org/details/psychopharmacolo0000spin|url-access=registration|access-date=14 October 2011|year=2001|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-69265-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/psychopharmacolo0000spin/page/233 233]–}}
</ref>

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 mite]]s and occasionally [[mealybug]]s.

In India the dry, fallen leaves are collected and hot-pressed into [[disposable]] palm leaf plates and bowls.<ref>[http://www.thewholeleafco.com/page/1/compostable_palm_leaf_tableware/ Palm Leaf Plates] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916165006/http://www.thewholeleafco.com/page/1/compostable_palm_leaf_tableware/ |date=2016-09-16 }} on the website TheWholeLeafCo.dom; viewed in September 2016</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Areca catechu palm.jpg|Flowers, fruits and buds in a single frame
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 [[Kerala]], 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 [[Kerala]], India
File:BuahPinangMuda.jpg|Young "betel" nuts in Malaysia
File:Flag of Penang (Malaysia).svg|Areca nut at [[Penang]]'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
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Areca catechu}}
* [http://www.plantcultures.org.uk/plants/betelnut_landing.html Plant Cultures: Betelnut botany and history]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041114090925/http://sun.ars-grin.gov:8080/npgspub/xsql/duke/plantdisp.xsql?taxon=107 ''Areca catechu'' List of Chemicals (Dr. Duke's)]
* [http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Areca.html#catechu Names in different Languages]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q156969}}

[[Category:Areca|catechu]]
[[Category:Tropical fruit]]
[[Category:Fruits originating in Asia]]
[[Category:Flora of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants of Asia]]
[[Category:Garden plants of Asia]]
[[Category:House plants]]
[[Category:Ornamental trees]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]

Areca catechu - Revision history

>Plague at 12:27, 27 June 2021