Background

Piper betel is blessed as evergreen and perennial plant, that has God created and have given the shape of his own heart. Anthropologists have found traces of betel in the spirit caves in Northwest Thailand dating back as to 5500-7000BC, which is even before systematic and organised agriculture came to be practiced. There have been similar findings in Timor in Indonesia going back to 3000 BC and in the blacked teeth of a human skeleton in Palawan in a Philippines going back to 2600 BC. It had found a place in the most ancient Sri Lanka Historical Book “Mahawamsa” written in palli. Even today some hardened betel chewers in Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia with black teeth as result of long years of chewing.Piper betle Linn. is the perennial evergreen that God created to have a beautiful leaves and have given shape of His own heart. Many scientist study it’s evindent of historical traces from the spirit caves in Northwest Thailand dating back to 5.500 – 7.000 BC, which is even before the systematic and organized agriculture came to be practiced. To the next evidence in the recent findings in Timor (re: ex-Indonesia) going back to 3.000 BC and in the blackened teeth of a human skeleton in Palawan in Philippines around 2.600 BC. In recent modern civilization, the name Piper believed to came from the ancient Sri Lanka historical book “Mahawamsa” written in Palli. Even today some hardened betel chewers in Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia with black teeth as result of long years of chewing (re: Nginang in Traditional Javanese). Piper betel is a Vedic (re: Aryuveda) plant and its Vedic name is Saptasira and in sankrit it known as Tambool, Nagvelleri, Nagani were used as remedy against various diseases. Piper betel is native to central and eastern Malaysia and was taken into cultivation more than 2.500 years ago throughout Malaysia and tropical Asia. It reached Madagascar and East Africa much later and was also introduced into the West Indies. Written Chinese sources from the period of the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907) described Southeast Asia as a region of betel users.
Piper betle variegata is a heart shaped leaves with raised lamina (semi corrugated) and sunken mid rib, the minor veining are lateral from the main and secondary veins. Creating interesting effect on corrugated adaxial. The variegation occurs mostly on each of the meristems, from the most of the leaf parts to the stem and base of the stem. It has reddish to dark brown stems and petioles. Seemingly most of the leaves are grown with white variegation around the leaves but the mid rib area. From the base of the leaf shown green leaf with splash of brush to light green and white. Through out time of the grow, the white tend to shown a better known ghosting variegation which occurs in most of the plants specimen shown. This specimen came from selection on a woody stem propagation. We’ve been eagerly waiting for it’s flowering and fruiting, to finally be able to propagate it from the seeds. Rarely ever been in burn even though we tried to grow it under brighter light spotted during the day in our care.
Here some other nurturing condition that occurs during different treatment:
1. Too much light, but adequate soil moisture: leaf becomes darker green, harder, rough taste.
2. Too less light, but adequate soil moisture: leaf becomes light green, thinner leaf, short lasting as chewed, taste becomes lighter, smaller leaf sizes.
3. Adequate light, but less soil moisture: hard leaf, smaller size, rough taste, early falling leafs, turn leafs yellow, weak plant stem, less number of leafs per plant, broken-uneven edges.
4. Adequate light, but too much soil moisture: rotten roots, dying plants, slowdown in leaf maturity, weaker taste, leaf uneven surfaces.

Care Guide

Origin

Sumatra

Sun

50% to 70% light intensity and brilliant indirect light are needed.

Temperature/Humidity

Requires 50% up to 80% room humidity, temperate climate between 68°F to 77°F is needed for better grows

Water

Water well on dry/summer every 5 days, please wait until top 3inches soil are dry. Once the watering habit are established for maximum grows, this plant can thrive for very long time. Wait for longer gap between watering in winter as most of the wild specimen has it's habit on defending its life by dormancy. Make sure your plant medium get fairly dry.

Soil

Requires well balanced acidity soil (6.5 to 7 pH) with well drained substrate that rich in organic matters

Nutrition

Balance nutrients is needed, macro and micro nutrients for easy growing experience.

Propagation

Vegetatively propagated succesfully by stem cuttings.

Habit

Terrestrial & Epiphyte

Difficulty level

This selected specimen is an easy-to-care plant, once it's acclimated well to its new environment it will thrive with the right nurturing habits.

Pet friendly

This plants sap contains calcium oxalate crystals that could cause skin irritation, and dangerous if diggest. Please be advice to keep it away from you lovely pets.

Environmental threat 

Most plants have their defense mechanisms to survive environmental threats happened. It has significant responses to its original habitat. It is considered rare in natural habitats due to habitat loss from human activities.

Habitat/Ecology

Tropical rainforest mainly on wet tropical biome

Elevation Limits (Meter above sea)

NA