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Acacia_catechu - (L. f.) Willd.

Common Name Cutch tree, Catechu acacia
Family Fabaceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards None Known
Habitats It grows in dry open forest in the west of Thailand. They grow in the drier plains of India
Range S. & SE Asia.
Edibility Rating    (1 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (2 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Acacia_catechu Cutch tree, Catechu acacia


edibleplants.org
Acacia_catechu Cutch tree, Catechu acacia
J.M.Garg wikimedia.org

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of lolypop
Acacia_catechu is a deciduous Tree growing to 15 m (49ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees, Insects.
It can fix Nitrogen.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Mimosa catechu L.f.;Mimosa catechoides Roxburgh;Acacia catechuoides Benth.;Acacia sandra Bedd.;

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Portion: Wood resin, Bark, Gum.

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


The heartwood extract of A. catechu, called pale catechu or “Katha” in Hindi has been widely used in traditional Indian medicinal system.

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

The wood is boiled to extract the resin. This is rolled into balls and grated and mixed with betel nuts and lime and chewed. “Kachu” (obtained after boiling the heart wood) is high in phenolics and used for chewing with betel leaf. Dense thorny branches provide nesting sites for granivorus birds like Munias (Lonchura spp.). Carbon - Farming. Industrial Crop: tannin, medicinal, gum, dye. Agroforestry Services: nitrogen. Fodder: insect.

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Climate: Tropical. Humidity: semi-arid to humid. Cultivation: regional crop. Management: coppice.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

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Fahrenheit:

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Plant Propagation

The tree is grown from seeds. It can be grown from cuttings.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Black catechu, Black cutch, Kachu, Karangalli, Keo cau, Khadira, Khair, Khayar, Mung-ting, Nya, Pohon akasia katecu, Sandra, See-siad, Seesiat nuea, Sha, Shaji, Tun-sa-se, Wadalee-Gum tree,

Native Range

TEMPERATE ASIA: China (Yunnan Sheng) TROPICAL ASIA: Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan (north), Myanmar, Thailand

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Acacia catechuCutch tree, Catechu acaciaTree15.0 10-12 FLMHNDM123

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

(L. f.) Willd.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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