Pinang Tree / Betel Nut Palm In Balaputera Dewa Museum

Pinang Tree/Betel Nut Palm In Balaputera Dewa Museum

 Balaputradewa museum is one of the tourism object places in Palembang. This museum is located in km 6.5, exactly on Jl. Srijaya Negara I No. 288, Palembang, Sumatera Selatan, Indonesia. Balaputradewa museum was built in 1978 and had publication in November 5, 1984. The large of area is 2356 meters.  Design architecture of the museum was inspirited by traditional building of Palembang. Balaputradewa museum has 3580 collections. Such as traditional luggage, preserves animals, some of miniatures Rumah pedalaman, and replica of old statues. Balaputradewa its self was a name of the king of Sriwijaya kingdom. Balaputradewa ordered his kingdom in VIII-IX century. Balaputradewa was the greatest king of Sriwijaya’s Kingdom. In his rule, Sriwijaya Kingdom was renowned as a big maritime kingdom that dominated almost archipelago as far as Thailand, India, Filipina, and China.

 

When we come in to the museum, we are offered by a relief of living Palembang’s inhabitant that put in front of the museum. That relief tells about Palembang princess are dancing Gending Sriwijaya. Gending sriwijaya is Palembang traditional dance that performance to accept the guests. That dance was publication in August 12, 1945. In Balaputradewa museum also include nature objects, such as elephant tusk and Pinang tree. It also included knowledge about stones and chemical elements, such as Cassiterte (SnO2), Hematite(Fe2O3), Monazite (Xenotime) and Lumite (Ce, Le, T, Th). There are also plants that grow in there, such as Coconut tree, Papaya, Pinus, Acacia,Cemara,Cermin,Nanas(Ananascomosus,Tembesu(Fagraespp.),Kopi(coffea),and Lada (Pipesnigrum).

 

There are also plants that grow in there, such as Coconut tree, Papaya, Pinus, Acacia, Cemara, Cermin, Nanas(Ananascomosus, Tembesu(Fagraespp.), Kopi(coffea),and Lada (Pipesnigrum).  

One of the most plants in there is Pinang tree/Betel Nut Palm.Pinang Tree / Betel Nut Palm is a straight and graceful palm tree growing in most tropical countries. It is native to Malaysia tropical rainforest. It is a palm exhibiting a slender single trunk, up to 10 m tall and about 20 cm wide, green at first, subsequently greyish and ringed by the remains of leaf scars. Its leaves, borne at stem apex, are pinnate, with a rigid but recurved rachis and several rigid, closely packed segments. Flowers, yellow and fragrant, are unisexual, clustered in inflorescences basally arising from the leaves, and enveloped by two spathes; male flowers are more numerous and located at inflorescence apex, whilst female flowers, less numerous, are to be found near the base. Fruits are hard, ovoid, red-orange coloured; they possess a fibrous mesocarp and a thin woody endocarp enveloping one seed.

 

Uses
      This plant is a very usefull and attractive addition to garden, because it is one of the few smaller growing sun tolerant feather palms. Seeds of this palm, incorrectly known as betel nuts, are widely employed, notably in South-East Asia, as a masticatory, due to its stimulating, digestive and cardiotonic properties, exerted by tannin and alkaloid substances present in them. The seeds contain arecalin, a stimulant, and are the betel nuts that color the teeth and mouth red, when chewed. Medicinally, the betel nut is used to treat intestinal worms.. In addition, its vegetating buds are often used as palm cabbage.

 

Display of the items usually included in a chewing session. The betel leaves are folded in different ways according to the country and most have a little calcium hydroxide daubed inside. Slices of the dry areca nut are on the upper left hand and slices of the tender areca nut on the upper right. The pouch on the lower right contains tobacco, a relatively recent introduction.

 Areca nut cutter from Bali/Indonesia.