Betel Palm (Areca catechu)

Family: Arecaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Betel Palm or Areca catechu is a tropical palm of up to 30 m high with a straight and slender trunk. Its dark green leaves can spread 5m across. It is native to the Philippines but is now widely cultivates in the tropics of East Asia for its highly valuable seeds. Betel seeds can be eaten raw while young leaves, inflorescences and the sweet inner part of the shoots are cooked and eaten as vegetables. The seeds are used as a masticatory.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Nuts/Seeds, Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

mild narcotic properties, it is widely used in some areas of the tropics as a masticatory, being mixed with the leaves of a pepper plant (Piper betle), a gum and, often, lime. — Edible portion: Nut, Cabbage, Palm heart, Male flower.; The seed has mild narcotic properties, it is widely used in some areas of the tropics as a masticatory, being mixed with the leaves of a pepper plant (Piper betle), a gum and, often, lime.; Betel seeds contain tannins and alkaloids - these stimulate saliva flow, accelerate heart and perspiration rates, suppress hunger and offer positive protection against intestinal worms.; The ovoid fruit is 4 - 5cm long and produced in large clusters of 200 - 300.

Habitat & North American Range

An understorey plant of tropical, high rainfall forests, from sea level to 1,000 metres or more. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)