Areca
a genus of lofty palms with pinnat d leaves, and a drupe-like fruit inclosed in a fibrous rind. A. catechu, of the Coromandel and Malabar coasts, is the common areca palm which yields areca or betel nuts, and also the astringent juice catechu. A. oleracea is the cabbage tree, or cabbage palm of the West Indies. With lime and the leaves of the betel pepper, the areca nuts, when green, form the celebrated masticatory of the East. They are an important article in Eastern trade.
ARECIBO (ar-ā-sē'bo), an important commercial town of Porto Rico; on the N. coast; facing the Atlantic Ocean; 50 miles W. of San Juan. Tributary to the town is a district of about 30,000 inhabitants. Pop. (1920) 10,039