Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Areca Catechu

Height : about 9 m (30 ft)


Areca Catechu var alba (Golden Betel-nut Palm), height : 3 m (10 ft)


Common name : Betel-nut Palm, Areca nut.
Local name : Pinang, Pinang jambe, Puga (sanskrit).
Max. height :  20 m  ( 65 ft) tall

Areca Catechu orginally from Southeast Asia, but is now widely distributed in many tropical regions. This palm can  produces the areca nuts, which is used in some tropical countries as a mild stimulant.  Because  the areca nut is always chewed along with the betel leaf, this palm is erroneously called the betel tree...