Herbarium JCB

Acacia catechu (Roxb.) Willd.

Family : FABACEAE
Family (As per The Plant List) : Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Subfamily : Mimosoideae
Species : Acacia catechu
Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Acacia catechu (Roxb.) Willd.
Common name : Black Cutch
Vernacular name : Khadira (San.); Khair, Khaira (Hin.); Kachhu, Kaggali (Kan.)
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
Native : India
Comments : The dark cutch or 'kathha', a strong astringent obtained from heartwood is a rusty substance used with betel leaves; the 'cutch' is of commercial importance. Wood is a good source of fuel and as timber.
Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
Distribution Locality : Bangalore, Chitradurga, Gulbarga, Kodagu, Mysore, Uttara Kannada
Floras referred : Saldanha, 1984; Ramaswamy & Razi, 1973 - Bangalore; Seetharam et al., 2000 - Gulbarga; Rao & Razi, 1981 - Mysore; Keshava Murthy & Yoganarasimhan, 1990 - Coorg