Taxon:  Senegalia catechu (L. f.) P. J. H. Hurter & Mabb.



Summary
Genus:
Senegalia
Family:
Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)
Subfamily:
Caesalpinioideae
Tribe:
Acacieae
Nomen number:
465184
Place of publication:
Mabberley's Pl.-Book 1021.  2008
Verified:
05/10/2012 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
14 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Mimosa catechu L. f.

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Acacia catechu (L. f.) Willd.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Acacia wallichiana DC.

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. Ferdousee, N. et al. 2009. Production, processing and marketing of khair (Acacia catechu), an important non-timber forest products in Rajshahi Division of Bangladesh. Int. J. Forest Ususfructs Managem. 10:77-85.
  2. Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishblack catechu  1Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2 Note: as Acacia catechu
Englishblack cutch  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Englishcatechu  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Englishcutchtree  1McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland. Note: as Acacia catechu
Englishkhairtree  1Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6 Note: as Acacia catechu
Bangladeshkhair  2Ferdousee, N. et al. 2009. Production, processing and marketing of khair (Acacia catechu), an important non-timber forest products in Rajshahi Division of Bangladesh. Int. J. Forest Ususfructs Managem. 10:77-85.
GermanKatechu-Akazie  2Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6 Note: as Acacia catechu
GermanKatechubaum  2Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6 Note: as Acacia catechu
Swedishkatechuakacia  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource) Note: as Acacia catechu
Transcribed Chineseer cha  2Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition). Note: as Acacia catechu
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAsia-TemperateChinaChinaYunnan Sheng Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentBhutan  Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:37-39.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentNepal  Hara, H. et al. 1978-1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan n.Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaMyanmar  Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:37-39.
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaThailand  Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:37-39.
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentBangladesh  Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentIndia  Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:37-39.
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan  Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaMyanmar  Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:37-39.
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalIndo-ChinaThailand  Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:37-39.
2CultivatedAsia-TropicalMalesiaIndonesia  Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:37-39.
Native
Asia-Temperate
  • CHINA: China [Yunnan Sheng]
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan (n.)
  • INDO-CHINA: Myanmar, Thailand
Cultivated
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan
  • INDO-CHINA: Myanmar, Thailand
  • MALESIA: Indonesia

Reference(s)
  1. Chinese Academy of Sciences. 1959-. Flora reipublicae popularis sinicae.
  2. Grierson, A. J. C. & D. J. Long. 1984-. Flora of Bhutan including a record of plants from Sikkim.
  3. Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
  4. Hara, H. et al. 1978-1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal.
  5. Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:37-39.
  6. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Food additivesflavoring Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2 Note: as Acacia catechu
Fuelscharcoal Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6 Note: as Acacia catechu
Invertebrate foodlac insects Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6 Note: as Acacia catechu
Materialstannin/dyestuffsource of a brown pigment1961. Webster's third new international dictionary. Note: source of a brown pigment
Materialswood Lemmens, R. H. M. J. & N. Wulijarni-Soetjipto, eds. 1991. Dye and tannin-producing plants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 3:37-39. Note: as Acacia catechu
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland. Note: as Acacia catechu
Medicinesfolkloreas Acacia catechuDuke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs Note: as Acacia catechu
Weed  Parsons, W. T. & E. G. Cuthbertson. 1992. Noxious weeds of Australia Inkata Press, Melbourne, Australia. Note: as Acacia catechu
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=465184. Accessed 15 April 2026.