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16: Stimulants

Areca whitfordii Becc.

PALMAE

Philippines: bungan-gubat (Tagalog).

The Philippines (Luzon, Mindoro).

The seeds are used as a substitute for those of areca palm (Areca catechu L.).

A small to medium-sized, pleonanthic, monoecious palm up to 10 m tall; stem up to 20 cm in diameter. Leaves about 2.5 m long; sheaths forming a prominent, somewhat swollen crownshaft; blade pinnate, with falcate-acuminate leaflets, leaflets with 2—3 prominent ribs, median leaflets about 100 cm x 4.5—5 cm. Inflorescence appearing on the trunk below the crown leaves, 3 times branched, spiciform; spikes numerous, with 1—2 female flowers at base and many male ones above, flowers sessile; male flowers unknown; of the female flowers the sepals ovate, petals longer than the sepals, with a broad triangular point; fruiting perianth cup-shaped, about 15 mm long. Fruit an ellipsoid drupe, 4—5.5 cm x 1.8—2 cm, with a truncate apex, brownish. Seed ovoid-ellipsoid, 2.5—3 cm long, with ruminate endosperm. Areca whitfordii grows in semi-swampy areas in the lowland; it may be common in river swamps.

[8] Beccari, O., 1907. Notes on Philippine palms 1. The Philippine Journal of Science, sect. C. Botany 2: 219—240.
[10] Beccari, O., 1919. The palms of the Philippine Islands. The Philippine Journal of Science 14: 295—362.
[34] Jones, D., 1984. Palms in Australia. Reed Books, Frenchs Forest, New South Wales, Australia. 278 pp.

M.S.M. Sosef

Sosef, M.S.M., 2000. Areca whitfordii Becc.. In: van der Vossen, H.A.M. and Wessel, M. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 16: Stimulants. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea