Areca Species, Areca Nut Palm, Betel Nut Palm, Indian Nut, Pinang Palm

This is a very nice palm to grow, don't let the z11 rating keep you from trying it. I have had 2 growing in ground under a large live oak...Read More for more than 5 years, 1 from a seedling and the 2nd has 5' of clear trunk. When temperatures dip into the low 30's, which is rare, there may be some spotting.

The Betel Nut Palm has been a very rewarding addition to my garden. It establishes very quickly here in Naples, FL. I planted mine abou...Read Moret 5 years ago, from a small, 10 gal. specimen. It is now over 15 feet tall, and producing many fruits. The flowers are very fragrant, which was a pleasant surprise. The ripe fruits turn yellow, and look very much like miniature versions of the Samoan Dwarf Coconut's yellow husks.

Here in South Florida, I've found this palm to be extremely easy to grow. Actually, I've found that it needs a lot of winter irrigation here. Our winters are very dry, and considering that our soil is little more than sand with limestone gravel, things dry out quickly. Other than needing plenty of irrigation, it is not demanding at all. It responds well to a slow-release palm fertilizer, which I supplement with Fish Emulsion, and it stays a deep, emerald green all the time. Small plants will get a little burn on the leaves from our winter cold spells, but mine never lost any leaves due to cold. It is my guess that this is actually more of a zone 10b palm. I highly recommend this species. It is very ornamental in every aspect, it is self-pruning, and very fast growing. Don't hesitate to give this fun palm a try.

In Vietnam, you can see the older generation chew on this plant, like baseball player chew tobacco here in the US. I've seen women put a...Read More brown dye on their teeth so that when they chew this plant it won't stain the teeth red. The custom of chewing betel nut is unique to Vietnam. Old health books claim that it will make your mouth fragrant, decrease bad temper, and making digesting food easier.

I have two Betel nut palms planted for about a year, being in zone10a, Port Charlotte. Fl. They may not handle the winter cold fronts tha...Read Moret occur from time to time. We'll see if they can take frost which is rare occurence here.