Plants

Betel Nut Palm

Areca catechu

Name

Marathi:

सुपारी

Biological Classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Spermatophyta
Sub-Division:	Angiospermae
Class:	Monocotyledonae
Sub-Class:	--
Series:	Calycinae
Order:	--
Family:	Arecaceae
Sub-Family:	--
Genus:	Areca
Species:	catechu

Advantages

This palm is cultivated for its beauty and its nuts, which have religious significance and are used in performing Poojas.
An alkaloid, arecoline obtained from this palm is used in ophthalmic treatment.
Husks are used for making hard board and brown wrapping paper.
Powdered nut is useful in checking diarrhoea and urinary disorders.

Interesting Facts

The specific name is latinized from a Malay word "Ketu" and the generic name is itself obtained from a name used locally on the Malabar coast of India.

Description

It is a tall palm with pinnate and linear leaves.
It flowers from December to February, with separate male and female flowers.
Areca catechu L.

Reference

Systematic Botany, R. N. Sutaria, Second Edition and Taxonomy of Angiosperms S. N. Pandey and S. P. Mishra.

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