Areca catechu L., Sp. Pl. 2: 1189 (1753).
The fibrous pericarps, or outer fruit walls, of the betel palm are cream to brown color in the native state, 4-5 cm x 2-2.5 cm. Commonly called fiber cups in the potpourri trade (or dafupi or areca peel in the Chinese pharmaceutical trade), the fiber may also be beaten to form dafumao or areca peel fibers.
This palm is native to the Indian Subcontinent, Indo-China, and Malesia but widely cultivated for the seeds, which are used as a masticatory and narcotic.
Arecaceae (alt. Palmae)
Authors: A.O. Tucker, A.J. Redford, J.L. Scher, M.D. Trice
Last updated: January 2020
idtools.org
