Betel Vine

Betel Vine

Scientific name: Piper betle L. 

Local name: ‘Pan’

Taxonomic Position According to Cronquist (1988)

Kingdom         : Plantae
Division           : Magnoliophyta
Class                :Magnoliopsida

Subclass          : Magnoliidae

Order               : Magnoliales

Family             : Piperaceae

Genus              : Piper

Species            :P. betle

 Botanical Description of Betel

Habit: A perennial stout twining climber

Root: Tap root system, adventitious roots are also present.

Stem: Branches with swollen nodes

Leaf: Simple, alternate, cordate, firmly coriaceous

Inflorescence: A cylindrical spike

Flower: Small, greenish yellow, complete, actinomorphic hermaphrodite, pentamerous.

Calyx: Sepal absent

Corolla: Absent

Androecium: Stamen 2, filament short

Gynoecium: Ovary superior, style short.

Fruit: A fleshy drupe

Table 1. Betel variety developed by BARI, Joydebpur, Bangladesh