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<i>Bentinckia</i> is a genus of flowering plants which is an unplaced member of the tribe Areceae (Arecaceae). Two species are recognized in the genus, viz. <i>B. condapanna</i> Berry ex Roxb. from the Western Ghats, India, and <i>B. nicobarica</i> (Kurz) Becc. from the Nicobar Islands. This work constitutes taxonomic revision, cytogenetics, molecular phylogeny, and biogeography of the Indian endemic palm genus <i>Bentinckia</i>. The present study discusses the ecology, morphology, taxonomic history, distribution, conservation status, and uses of <i>Bentinckia</i>. A neotype was designated for the name <i>B. condapanna</i>. Cytogenetical studies revealed a new cytotype of <i>B. condapanna</i> representing 2<i>n</i> = 30 chromosomes. Although many phylogenetic reports of the tribe Areceae are available, the relationship within the tribe is still ambiguous. To resolve this, we carried out Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) analysis using an appropriate combination of chloroplast and nuclear DNA regions. The same phylogeny was used to study the evolutionary history of Areceae. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that <i>Bentinckia</i> forms a clade with other unplaced members, <i>Clinostigma</i> and <i>Cyrostachys</i>, and together they show a sister relationship with the subtribe Arecinae. Biogeographic analysis shows <i>Bentinckia</i> might have originated in Eurasia and India.