Areca catechu L. | |
Arecaceae | |
Paakku Maram | |
| Botanical Name | Areca catechu L. |
| Synonyms | Areca catechu var. alba Blume; Areca catechu var. longicarpa Becc. |
| Family | Arecaceae |
| Common Name | English : Areca palm / Tamil : Paakku |
| Distribution | Global : China, Sri Lanka, Taiwan Indian : Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu |
| Description | Solitary tree up to 20m Tall, unarmed. Leaves in a terminal crown to 2 m long, prominent leaf base. Spadices several on the axils of fallen leaves to 50 cm long, branched, shortly peduncled, spikes flexuous or straight to 30 cm long. Spathes boat-like, coriaceous. Flowers monoecious, lower one’s female, upper ones male, many. Male flowers 3 mm long, sepals 3, 1 mm long, triangular, petals 3, 2.5 mm, ovate, white, stamens 6, pistillode 2-fid. Female flowers 1.3 cm long, sepals 7 mm, obovate, petals to 1 cm, ovary to 8 mm, oblong, 1-celled, ovule solitary. Fruit to 4 x 2.5 cm, with fibrous mesocarps, orange-red in color. |
| Flowering Fruiting period | Throughout the year |
| Uses | Commercially cultivated for seed. |
| Medicinal Uses | These include antiparasitic effects, anti-depressive effects, anti-fatigue effects, antioxidant effects, antibacterial and antifungal effects,antihypertensive effects, anti-inflammatory. |
| Tamil Name | Paakku Maram |