332 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL RLST. SOCLETT, Vol. XXIV. 



occasionally, and in certain localities, especially of Western and 

 Southern India, of Ceylon and of Burma, where the soil and climate- 

 may be exceptionally favotirable, it is grown in special gardens- 

 along with Coco-nut, Plantain, Orange, Mango, etc., and either 

 with or without the pan (piper betel) climbing on the palm-stems. 

 In Eastern and Northern Bengal, in some portions of Assam, and 

 .in Ceylon its cultivation has assumed still greater dimensions. In 

 certain districts of these provinces regular plantations of 5 to 20 

 or even 100 acres in extent occur and at such frequent intervals 

 that they might almost be said to constitute a distinct agricultural 

 feature scarcely less important than the combined crops raised on 

 the intervening portions of the country (Watt). 



The exact native country of the Betel-nut Palm is uncertain. It 

 is difficult to trace its original spot as the tree has been extensively 

 cultivated, from time immemorial, in all parts of the East Indies.. 

 On the continent of India, in Ceylon,, and Cochin-China the species 

 is always mentioned as cultivated. So in the Sunda Isles, the 

 Moluccas, etc., to the South of Asia. Blume says that the habitat 

 of the species is the Mala}^ Peninsula, Siam, and the neighbouring 

 islands, though he does not seem to have seen the indigenous plants 

 of which he speaks. Bretschneider considers the plant to be a native 

 of the Malay Archipelago, principally of Sumatra, for he says that 

 those islands and the Philippines are the only places where it is- 

 found wild. The first of these facts is not confirmed by Miquel, 

 nor the second by Blanco, who lived in the Philippines. To De 

 Candolle Blume's opinion appears the most probable, but he adds : 

 " We must still say with Martins, 'the country is not proved.' " 



Mr. C. E. C. Fischer, i.f.S., writes to me : 



" Areca catechu is said not to be wild in India, but I have found 

 it growing in the Attapadi valley of Malabar in dense ever-green 

 jungle where it seemed to me obviously wild. The forest was 

 virgin and not secondary growth after cultivation. The local hill 

 men, who do not use the fruit of the trees, declared it to be 

 wild. I found it in fruit on 21st May 1911. The soil was a deep 

 rich vegetable loam; elevation 3,000 feet." (Cf. No. 2776 of 

 Fischer's collection in Herb. Calc.) 



History. — We borrow the following account from Watt : — 

 The betel-nut is a masticatory of great antiquity with all Asiatic races,, 

 best known as suvaka, puga, kramaka (Sansk.), fufal (Arab). The 

 nut is symbolical of festivity ; it is accordingly a fit offering for the 

 gods, and is an essential at the betrothal ceremony. From the 

 most ancient times the presentation of pan has been the polite 

 termination of ceremonial visits, hence the expression bira-dena — 

 the dismissal. The best known vernacular names for the nut are — 

 supari, gua gaya, kasaile, mari, tambul, oka, kamuga, adike, 

 kunsi, etc. 



