Areca catechu
|
Taxon |
Family |
|
Areca catechu L. |
Arecaceae |
 |
 |
| The palm growing in Micronesia Credit: M. Merlin |
The plant introduced in South Africa |
Common names: betel nut palm, areca, areca nut
Synonyms: Areca cathecu Burman, Areca faufel Gaertner, Areca hortensis Loureiro, Areca himalayana H. Wendland., Areca nigra H. Wendland.
Life form: palm
Biology/Ecology:
Dispersal: Seeds are dispersed by humans and animals moving the plant's fruit.
Reproduction: Flowering begins after 4 to 6 years. Flowers are thought to be wind pollinated. Flowers are unisexual, with staminate and pistillate flowers borne on the same inflorescence, although there are more staminate flowers. Staminate flowers are smaller than pistillate flowers. They are creamy white in colour. Fruit is an orange/red drupe, 5 to 6.5 cm long and 3.7 to 5 cm across.
Herbivores: Various nematodes, rhinoceros beetle, leaf-eating caterpillar, borer, coconut scale, spiralling whitefly, coconut hispine beetle, caseworm, mealybugs, white ants and mites.
Resistant stages: No information available.
Habitat:
Native habitat: Moist forest
Habitat occupied in invaded range: Secondary moist forest, usually close to its cultivation site.
Habitat requirements:
| Altitude | Less than 900 metres above sea level. |
| Light | Seedlings require partial shade, but larger plants prefer full sun, although they are shade tolerant. |
| Temperature | Annual temperature between 21 and 28 degrees Celsius. |
| Annual rainfall | Between 1500 and 5000 mm, uniform rainfall distribution throughout the year. |
| Soil | Well-drained soils with high moisture holding capacity and a pH of between 5 and 8. Intolerant to drought, waterlogging and saline soils. |
Distribution:
Probably native to the Philippines or Malaysia, although South and Southeast Asia have also been suggested.
Introduced range: Invasive in Tanzania. Introduced in tropical Asia, East Africa, Pacific Islands and southeast USA.
Impacts:
Ecosystem: Shade tolerance allows the plant to invade undisturbed rainforest, although the plant has not been reported spreading far from its cultivation site.
Health, social and economic: 5% of the world's population chew the nut as a stimulant, but heavy use can cause permanent teeth discolouration, oral leucoplakia, submucous fibrosis and squamous cell carcinoma.
Management:
Mechanical: Trees can be cut down, as the palm is incapable of regeneration.
Chemical: No information available.
Biological: No information available.
References:
Staples, G.W. and Bevacqua, R.F., 2006. Areca catechu (Betel nut palm). Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Available from http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/Areca-catechu-betel-nut.pdf (Accessed August 2006).
Duke, J.A., 1989. Handbook of Nuts. CRC Press LLC.
Last updated October 2006
