Betel Nut Palm

A very elegant and graceful palm, it is single-stemmed with a very straight upright habit and the potential to grow very tall indeed. It has a very compact canopy of semi-erect arching pinnate leaves that curve ever inward as they age. Areca catechu is also significant for the seed (nut) which is prized and cultivated for its aromatic and astringent (and slightly addictive) qualities. Cut or ground up and mixed with edible lime and wrapped in Betel leaves (Piper betle) this is the nut that makes the hot, acrid, red-staining juice that is seen all over Asia and some parts of the pacific.