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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.;

Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Inner bark
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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FOOD FOREST PLANTS

Other Uses

Fodder  Tannin

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

Carbon Farming  Nitrogen Fixer

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen  Fodder: Insect  Industrial Crop: Dye  Industrial Crop: Gum  Industrial Crop: Medicinal  Industrial Crop: Tannin  Management: Coppice  Regional Crop

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

Carbon Farming

  • Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen  Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
  • Fodder: Insect  Plants grown for useful fodder insects.
  • Industrial Crop: Dye  Botanical dyes replacing synthetic dyes (known as heavy polluters).
  • Industrial Crop: Gum  Used as thickeners and gelling agents. Non-destructively harvested gums come from tapped trees and seed.
  • Industrial Crop: Medicinal  Most pharmaceuticals are synthesized from petroleum but 25% of modern medicines are based on plants.
  • Industrial Crop: Tannin  Occur generally in the roots, wood, bark, leaves, and fruit of many plants. Used in tanning leather, dyeing fabric, making ink, and medical applications.
  • Management: Coppice  Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
  • Regional Crop  These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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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,

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Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Pacific, Pakistan, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, USA, Vietnam,

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

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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.

 

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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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