Herbarium JCB

Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd.

Family : FABACEAE
(PEA OR BEAN FAMILY)
Family (as per The Plant List) : Leguminosae
Subfamily : Mimosoideae
Species : Acacia catechu
Basionym : Mimosa catechu L.f.
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd.
Common name : Black Cutch, Cutch Tree
Vernacular name : Khair, Khaira (Hin.); Kachhu, Kaggali (Kan.); Othalei, Kasukkoto (Tam.); Sundra, Khadirim, Nallasundra (Tel.); Khairo (Ori.)
Key identification features : A moderate-sized deciduous tree. Leaves are compound with many leaflets and spines on either side of the leaf base and with a gland on the petiole. Flowers are small, white or pale yellow and are densely arranged on an elongated inflorescence axis. The pod is many-seeded and indehiscent. Bark is white or ash-coloured that peels off in papery flakes.
Habit : Tree
Flower, Fruit : June-December
Native : Indian sub-continent
Comments : Occasional along ghats and roadsides of dry deciduous forests. An exuadate called 'Black Cutch' is obtained from the bark of leaves.
Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
Distribution Locality : Srikakulam district, Visakhapatnam district, East Godavari district, Kurnool district, Anantapur district, Guntur district (Andhra Pradesh State); Ganjam district, Koraput district, Angul district, Cuttack district (Odisha State)
World Distribution : India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand, South China; Introduced in Mauritius
Literature : Pullaiah et al., 2001 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 2; H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1; J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1 ; R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District; N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka
Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Arun Singh R., Deepak Kumar, Raja K Swamy and Navendu Page (2016). Digital Flora of Eastern Ghats. http://easternghats.ces.iisc.ernet.in/plants.php?name=Acacia catechu. Downloaded on 31 March 2025.