Paan / Betel Leaf
Piper betle
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Found in India
- Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Piper betle
- Genus
- Piper
- Family
- Piperaceae
- Habit
- Climbing shrub
- Found in India
- Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Assam
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Recorded for Paan.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Piperaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- पान Paan, Nagar-bel,पान pan
- Nepali
- पान Paan, पान
- Bengali
- পান, পান(পাতা)
- Tamil
- வெத்திலை Vettilai, Akilatam, Vetrilai, வெற்றிலை
- Telugu
- తమలపాకు, తమలము, తమలపాకులు
- Kannada
- ವೀಳೆಯ Veeleya, ವೀಳೆಯದೆಲೆ/ಗಿಡ Veeleyada ele (leaf) ಗಿಡ (plant), ತಾಂಬೂಲ Taamboola, ವೀಳ್ಯದೆಲೆ
- Malayalam
- ബീടലാ Beetla, Vettila, വെറ്റില
- Marathi
- खाव्याचे पान Khavayache-pan, naagavaela, नागवेल
Paan in India
The betel leaf is woven into Indian hospitality, ritual and the after-meal paan — पान Paan (Hindi), வெத்திலை Vettilai (Tamil), తమలపాకు (Telugu), ವೀಳೆಯ Veeleya (Kannada), ബീടലാ Beetla (Malayalam), खाव्याचे पान Khavayache-pan (Marathi). Piper betle is cultivated across Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Assam in shaded leaf-gardens (betelvines).
Uses
The fresh heart-shaped leaves wrap the betel quid (paan) and are offered to guests and in pujas as a symbol of auspiciousness and respect. The leaf has attributed uses in traditional medicine and as a mouth freshener (described for information, not advice).
How to Identify Paan
A glossy-leaved climbing vine grown on supports, with broad, heart-shaped leaves that have a distinctive spicy-peppery aroma and taste. Like its pepper relatives it bears tiny flowers on slender catkin-like spikes.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Betel Leaf called in different Indian languages?
- पान Paan (Hindi); வெத்திலை Vettilai (Tamil); తమలపాకు (Telugu); ವೀಳೆಯ Veeleya (Kannada); ബീടലാ Beetla (Malayalam); खाव्याचे पान Khavayache-pan (Marathi); পান (Bengali).
- What is betel leaf (paan) used for?
- Fresh betel leaves wrap the paan quid, are offered to guests and in pujas as a mark of respect, and are used traditionally as a mouth freshener.
- How is betel leaf grown?
- It is a climbing vine grown up supports in shaded, humid 'betelvine' gardens, prized for its tender heart-shaped leaves.
Piperaceae
Pepper family
Paan belongs to the Piperaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Piperaceae
View all Piperaceae →Sources: GBIF — Piper betle (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Piper betle (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Piper betle (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)