A tropical palm tree that produces betel nuts, which are chewed in many Asian cultures.
From Portuguese areca, borrowed from Malayalam arīkka. The word traveled from South Asia to Europe via Portuguese traders in the 16th century.
The betel nut from areca palms has been chewed in South and Southeast Asia for thousands of years and is one of the world's most widely used psychoactive plants—more popular than coffee for its users!
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