Areca catechu is the areca palm or areca nut palm betel palm; Filipino: bunga; Indonesia/Malay: pinang; Malayalam: ????? adakka; Kannada: ????? Adike); a species of palm which grows in much of the tropical Pacific; Asia; and parts of east Africa.

The palm is believed to have originated in either Indonesia/Malaysia or the Philippines. Areca is derived from a local name from the Malabar Coast of India and catechu is from another Malay name for this palm; caccu.

This palm is often called the betel tree because its fruit; the areca nut; is often chewed along with the betel leaf; a leaf from a vine of the Piperaceae family. Pictures From History