Stats

Lifespan: 60-100 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Southeast Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

A slender tropical palm grown widely as an indoor statement plant for its arching feathery fronds. Its seeds — betel nuts — are chewed by hundreds of millions of people across South and Southeast Asia, making it one of the most widely consumed psychoactive substances in the world.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Areca
Species: Areca catechu