Betal nut palm

Betal nut palm

Scientific name: Areca catechu L.

Local name: ‘Shupari’

Taxonomic Position of Betalnut Palm According to Cronquist (1981)

Botanical Description of Betal Nut Palm

Habit: Monoecious palm

Root: Adventitious arises from the base of stem, roots are mostly located in the top 1.5 m of the soil.

Stem: Erect, stout, covered by persistent leaf bases.

Leaf: Leaves in a terminal crown, simple leaf having leaflet, the leaflets are sharply pointed end converted into spine of the lower leaflets.

Inflorescence: Spadix, spadices several branches, enclosed by spathe look like boat.

Flower: Small, sessile, unisexual.

Male flower

Calyx: Sepal 3, rounded, free, aestivation imbricate

Corolla: Petal 3, valvate aestivation

Perianth: Tepal 6, arranged in two whorls

Androecium: Stamen 6

Female flower

Gynoecium: ovary oblong, unilocular, carpel 1

Fruit: One seeded drupe, woody endocarp