Areca
Encyclopedia
Areca is a genus
of about 50 species of single-stemmed palm
s in the family
Arecaceae
, found in humid tropical forests from Malaysia to the Solomon Islands
. The generic name Areca is derived from a name used locally on the Malabar Coast
of India
.
, tobacco
, and Calcium hydroxide
(lime
). This practice is popular among elderly people in southeastern Asia.
and talipot palm
, but its straight and slender appearance is quite different.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of about 50 species of single-stemmed palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
s in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Arecaceae
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
, found in humid tropical forests from Malaysia to the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. The generic name Areca is derived from a name used locally on the Malabar Coast
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland 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 mountain...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Usage
The best-known member of the genus is A. catechu, the areca nut palm. Several species of Areca nuts, known for their bitter and tangy taste, raw or dried nuts are routinely used for chewing , especially in combination with the leaves of BetelBetel
The Betel is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, which includes pepper and Kava. It is valued both as a mild stimulant and for its medicinal properties...
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, and Calcium hydroxide
Calcium hydroxide
Calcium hydroxide, traditionally called slaked lime, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca2. It is a colourless crystal or white powder and is obtained when calcium oxide is mixed, or "slaked" with water. It has many names including hydrated lime, builders lime, slack lime, cal, or...
(lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
). This practice is popular among elderly people in southeastern Asia.
Family
The areca nut tree belongs to the same family as the oil palmOil palm
The oil palms comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis is native to West Africa, occurring between Angola and Gambia, while the American Oil Palm Elaeis oleifera is native to...
and talipot palm
Talipot palm
Corypha umbraculifera is a species of palm, native to southern India and Sri Lanka.It is one of the largest palms in the world; individual specimens have reached heights of up to 25 m, with stems up to 1.3 m in diameter...
, but its straight and slender appearance is quite different.
Species
- Areca abdulrahmanii J.Dransf. (1980).
- Areca ahmadii J.Dransf. (1984).
- Areca andersoniiAreca andersoniiAreca andersonii is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Dransfield, J. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
J.Dransf. (1984). - Areca arundinacea Becc. (1877).
- Areca brachypoda J.Dransf. (1984).
- Areca caliso Becc. (1919).
- Areca camarinensis Becc. (1919).
- Areca catechuAreca catechuAreca catechu is the areca palm or areca nut palm, , 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 either Malaysia or the Philippines...
L. (1753) : Betel Palm - Areca celebica Burret (1933).
- Areca chaianaAreca chaianaAreca chaiana is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Dransfield, J. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
J.Dransf. (1984). - Areca concinnaAreca concinnaAreca concinna is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found only in Sri Lanka.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Johnson, D. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
Thwaites (1864). - Areca congesta Becc. (1923).
- Areca costulata Becc. (1919).
- Areca dayung J.Dransf. (1980).
- Areca furcata Becc. (1877).
- Areca glandiformisAreca glandiformisAreca glandiformis is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found only in the Maluku Islands, Indonesia.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Johnson, D. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
Lam. (1783). - Areca guppyanaAreca guppyanaAreca guppyana is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found only in Solomon Islands.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Dowl, J.L. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
Becc. (1914). - Areca hutchinsonianaAreca hutchinsonianaAreca hutchinsoniana is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found only in the Philippines.-Source:* Madulid, D. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
Becc. (1919). - Areca insignis (Becc.) J.Dransf. (1984).
- Areca insignis var. insignis
- Areca insignis var. moorei (J.Dransf.) J.Dransf. (1984)
- Areca ipotAreca ipotAreca ipot, the Ipot Palm, is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is endemic to the Philippines.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Madulid, D. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
Becc. (1909). - Areca jobiensis Becc. (1877).
- Areca jugahpunya J.Dransf. (1984).
- Areca kinabaluensis Furtado (1933).
- Areca klingkangensis J.Dransf. (1984).
- Areca laosensis Becc. (1910).
- Areca ledermanniana Becc. (1923).
- Areca macrocalyx Zipp. ex Blume (1839).
- Areca macrocarpaAreca macrocarpaAreca macrocarpa is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found in the Philippines.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Madulid, D. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
Becc. (1909). - Areca minuta Scheff., (1876).
- Areca montana Ridl., (1907).
- Areca multifida Burret (1936).
- Areca nannospadix Burret (1931).
- Areca nigasolu Becc. (1914).
- Areca novohibernica (Lauterb.) Becc. (1914).
- Areca oxycarpa Miq. (1868).
- Areca parensAreca parensAreca parens is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found only in the Philippines.It is threatened by habitat loss and listed on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable.-References:* Madulid, D. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
Becc. (1919). - Areca rechingeriana Becc. (1910).
- Areca rheophytica J.Dransf. (1984).
- Areca ridleyana Becc. ex Furtado (1933).
- Areca rostrata Burret (1935).
- Areca salomonensis Burret (1936).
- Areca subacaulis (Becc.) J.Dransf. (1984).
- Areca torulo Becc. (1914).
- Areca triandraAreca triandraAreca triandra is a palm native to India and Malaysia which is often used as ornamental plant.-Distribution:Tropical and subtropical Asia .-Description:...
Roxb. ex Buch.-Ham. (1826). - Areca tunku J.Dransf. & C.K.Lim (1992).
- Areca vestiaria Giseke (1792).
- Areca vidaliana Becc. (1907).
- Areca warburgiana Becc. (1914).
- Areca whitfordiiAreca whitfordiiAreca whitfordii is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found only in the Philippines.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Madulid, D. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
Becc. (1907).