As recorded for Supari
Areca catechu
Supari / Beetle Nut Palm সুপারি
Bengali name · See all regional names ↓
Also known as Areca Nut Palm, Areca Palm, Pinang
- Habit
- Palm (Columnar)
- Found in India
- Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengal & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Supari in regional languages
Find the name you know, then compare it with the botanical profile. Columns list recorded aliases; they are not paired translations. A Latin spelling appears only when it is present in the source record.
| Language | Regional script | Recorded Latin spelling |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | चामरपुष्प · गुवाक · गूआ | chamarpushpa, guvak, gua, supari |
| Bengali | সুপারি · সুপুরি | supari |
| Tamil | அடைக்காய் · சகுந்தம் · சாமரபுட்பம் | atai-k-kay, chakuntam, chamara-putpam |
| Telugu | ఘోంట · ఖపురము · క్రముకము | ghonta, khapuramu, kramukamu |
| Kannada | ಅಡಕೆ · ಅಡಿಕೆ | adake, adike |
| Malayalam | കമുക് · കവുങ്ങ് | kamuk, kavung |
| Marathi | पोफळ पोफळी · पूग · पूगफल | pophal OR pophali, pug, pugaphal |
See the original recorded names
- Hindi
- चामरपुष्प chamarpushpa, गुवाक guvak,गूआ gua, supari
- Bengali
- সুপারি supari, সুপারি, সুপুরি
- Tamil
- அடைக்காய் atai-k-kay, சகுந்தம் chakuntam, சாமரபுட்பம் chamara-putpam
- Telugu
- ఘోంట ghonta, ఖపురము khapuramu, క్రముకము kramukamu
- Kannada
- ಅಡಕೆ adake, ಅಡಿಕೆ adike, ಅಡಿಕೆ
- Malayalam
- കമുക് kamuk, കവുങ്ങ് kavung, കവുങ്ങ്
- Marathi
- पोफळ pophal OR पोफळी pophali, पूग pug, पूगफल pugaphal
Ecology & growing context
- Native status · Kew WCVP
- WCVP records it as introduced in Andaman Is., Assam, India, Nicobar Is. Kew dataset ↗︎
Kew WCVP dataset; accepted-name match. Dataset matching is separate from an individual regional review. Recorded worldwide native range: Philippines.
- Explore nearby plants
- Kerala →Karnataka →West Bengal →
Occurrence records show where a plant has been recorded; they do not establish that it is native there. Compare local habitat and growing conditions when choosing plants for a garden.
How to identify Supari
Identify Supari by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a palm (columnar) habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Cultivated for areca/betel nuts.
- Confirm leaf type: Pinnately compound.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
- In India, compare location records such as Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Arecaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Supari.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Areca catechu
- Genus
- Areca
- Family
- Arecaceae
- Habit
- Palm (Columnar)
- Native to
- Tropical Asia
- Distribution
- Tropics
- Found in India
- Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Maharashtra, Goa, Meghalaya, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry, Telangana
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compoundrecordedLeaflets are arranged in rows along a central stalk, like a feather.“The leaves are 1.5–2 m (4.9–6.6 ft) long, pinnate, with numerous, crowded leaflets.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Supari itself; the rest are typical of the Arecaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
Typical of the Arecaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Supari in India
This slender palm, known as चामरपुष्प chamarpushpa (Hindi), அடைக்காய் atai-k-kay (Tamil), ఘోంట ghonta (Telugu), ಅಡಕೆ adake (Kannada), കമുക് kamuk (Malayalam), पोफळ pophal OR पोफळी pophali (Marathi), produces one of the most widely chewed seeds in the world. Areca catechu is cultivated across Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, especially in the humid coastal south and northeast.
Uses
Its seed (supari/areca nut) is sliced and chewed, often wrapped in a betel leaf (paan) with lime and other ingredients — a widespread but habit-forming practice linked to increased health risks, including oral cancers, with regular use.
How to Identify Supari
A tall, slender, unbranched palm with a smooth, ringed trunk marked by old leaf-scars. Feather-like fronds cluster at the crown. Small flowers are followed by egg-shaped orange-red fruit, each containing the hard, marbled seed known as the areca or betel nut.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Beetle nut Palm called in different Indian languages?
- चामरपुष्प chamarpushpa (Hindi); அடைக்காய் atai-k-kay (Tamil); ఘోంట ghonta (Telugu); ಅಡಕೆ adake (Kannada); കമുക് kamuk (Malayalam); पोफळ pophal OR पोफळी pophali (Marathi); সুপারি supari (Bengali).
- Is chewing supari safe?
- No — regular chewing of areca/betel nut, with or without tobacco, is linked to a significantly increased risk of oral cancers and other health problems, and is not a safe habitual practice.
- Is areca nut the same as betel leaf?
- No — the areca or betel nut is the seed of this palm (Areca catechu), while betel leaf comes from an entirely different plant, the betel vine (Piper betle); they're typically chewed together as paan.
Arecaceae
Palm family
Supari belongs to the Arecaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Arecaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guidesMore in Arecaceae
View all ArecaceaeSources: GBIF — Areca catechu (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Areca catechu (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)