Can anyone confirm these
Palm Fruit Photos - WAYNE'S WORD wynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph1
Left: Mature palm in Tortuguero National Park bearing clusters of fruit; Right: Fresh palm fruit at the marketplace in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Betel Nut Palm (Areca catechu)
One of the most interesting uses for palms involves the chewing of seeds from the betel nut palm (Areca catechu). This palm is native to Malaya, but extensively cultivated throughout India, southeastern China, the East Indies, and the Philippines where the seeds (called betel nuts) are chewed. This curious practice dates back to antiquity and was first described by Herodotus in 340 BC. The usual method of chewing involves betel nuts, betel pepper leaves from Piper betel (Piperaceae) and lime powder (calcium hydroxide). Betel leaves come from the same genus as black pepper (P. nigrum) and kava kava (P. methysticum). Slices of ripe betel nuts are placed in the mouth. Then fresh leaves of the betel pepper are smeared with lime (calcium hydroxide) and chewed with the nuts. Sometimes the the mixture is chewed with cloves, cinnamon, tamarind, cardamom, nutmeg or other spices to enhance the flavor. Betel nut chewing is commonly indulged in after dinner. The mass is worked in the mouth without swallowing; the process stimulates a copious flow of saliva which is continuously expectorated. Although it has been compared with chewing tobacco, betel nuts do not contain the harmful ingredients of tobacco. In fact, betel nut chewing may have some medicinal value, such as counteracting overacidity and producing a mild stimulation and feeling of well being.
Zuma
