Kambibi, Highland Betel nut palm
Areca macrocalyx

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

This is a small palm up to 2-10 m high. It has a thick dark green crown. The trunk is straight. It is green in its younger parts. There are widely spaced white rings of leaf base scars along the trunk. The crown-shaft is long and narrow. It is 1.2 m long. The leaves are 2 m long. They stick upwards and do not arch over. The leaflets are pleated. They vary in width and spacing. They are dark green above and pale underneath. It has dead male spikes between the rows of nuts. It has dense club-like clusters of fruit. The fruit can be round or elongated. They are deep orange when mature.

There are 60 Areca species. They are tropical.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the highlands of Papua New Guinea mostly between 1000 m and 1900 m.. It grows in tropical and subtropical areas. It grows in mountain rainforests. In Cairns Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Indonesia, Indonesia-Papua, Malaysia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia, Solomon Islands

How it is used for food

The nuts are used as a substitute for betel nut. The palm heart is edible.

Edible parts

Nuts, edible heart, cabbage, palm heart

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed.

Its other names

Local names

Ariki, Aupmo, E'esu, Heta pinomo, Kasmai, Kumul, Mbet, Monbat, Muncu sirbi, Owee, Palem sirih dataran tinggi, Pinang hutan, Rigi, Sias, Sungeri piawan, Wauneb

Synonyms

Areca jobiensis Becc.; Areca macrocalyx var. aruensis Becc.; Areca macrocalyx var. conophyla Becc.; Areca macrocalyx var. intermedia Becc.; Areca macrocalyx var. waigheuensis Becc.; Areca multifida Burret; Areca nannospadix Burret; Areca nigasolu Becc.; Areca rechingeriana Becc.; Areca rostrata Burret; Areca torulo Becc.; Areca warburgiana Becc.;