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Sri Lanka's wildlife encyclopedia

Betel Leaf

බුලත් வெற்றிலை

Piper betle

Betel Leaf
No machine-readable author provided. Pamri assumed (based on copyright claims). · Public domain

Overview

Betel is a species of flowering plant in the pepper family Piperaceae, native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious vine, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plants are cultivated for their leaves, which are most commonly used as flavoring for chewing areca nut in so-called betel quid, which is carcinogenic, contains a psychostimulant drug, and is associated with a wide range of serious health conditions.

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Sources

  1. Wikipedia (EN): Betel — CC BY-SA 4.0
  2. Wikipedia (SI): බුලත් — CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. Wikipedia (TA): வெற்றிலை — CC BY-SA 4.0