Areca is a genus of 51 species of palmss in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines and Malaysia, India, and across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name Areca is derived from a name used locally on the Malabar Coast of India.

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, are routinely used for chewing, especially in combination with the leaves of betel and dried leaves of tobacco. Areca nut is also popularly referred to as betel nut because of its use for chewing with betel leaves. In Assam, areca nut is also known as tamul in the local dialect.

Species

(52 species)

• Areca abdulrahmanii J.Dransf.

• Areca ahmadii J.Dransf.

• Areca andersonii J.Dransf.

• Areca gandamatu Sultan Mardan Plantation

• Areca arundinacea Becc.

• Areca brachypoda J.Dransf.

• Areca caliso Becc.

• Areca camarinensis Becc.

• Areca catechu L.

• Areca celebica Burret

• Areca chaiana J.Dransf.

• Areca concinna Thwaites

• Areca congesta Becc.

• Areca costulata Becc.

• Areca dayung 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 J.Dransf.

• Areca laosensis Becc.

• Areca ledermanniana Becc.

• Areca macrocalyx Zipp. ex Blume

• Areca macrocarpa Becc.

• Areca mandacanii Heatubun

• Areca minuta Scheff.

• Areca montana Ridl.

• Areca multifida Burret

• Areca nannospadix Burret

• Areca nigasolu Becc.

• Areca novohibernica (Lauterb.) Becc.

• Areca oxycarpa Miq.

• Areca parens Becc.

• Areca rechingeriana Becc.

• Areca rheophytica J.Dransf.

• Areca ridleyana Becc. ex Furtado

• Areca rostrata Burret

• Areca salomonensis Burret

• Areca subacaulis (Becc.) J.Dransf.

• Areca torulo Becc.

• Areca triandra Roxb. ex Buch.-Ham.

• Areca tunku J.Dransf. & C.K.Lim

• Areca vestiaria Giseke

• Areca vidaliana Becc.

• Areca warburgiana Becc.

• Areca whitfordii Becc.

See also

• Dypsis lutescens, a plant also sometimes referred to as "Areca palm"

References