Morphology, Cultivation and use

1. Acacia catechu
Dr. Vasanta I. Kahalkar
Department of Botany
M. G. College, Armori

2. Acacia catechu
• Botanical Name : Acacia catechu
• Family : Mimosaceae
• Local Name: Khair
• Origin and Distribution :
The tree of Acacia catechu is found all
throughout India. The main areas for its habitat
in the country are the eastern slopes of the
Western Ghats and the Himalayan tracts.

3. Botanical Description
• This tree is deciduous and has short hooked
spines, that reach up to the height of 9 to 12
meters. Leaves bipinnately compounds,
alternate with almost 50 pairs of leaflets. The
bark of the tree is grayish brown in colour,
long and narrow strips. The flowers are pale
yellow in colour and Inflorescence spikes.
Fruit a pod flat, straight, unlobed, thin walled,
beaked at apex, brown, glabrous. Seeds 3-8,
orbicular or ovate, flattened.

4. Botanical Description
Bark
Inflorescence Fruit
Tree

5. Cultivation
The tree are propagated from seed.
Seedling are raised in nursery beds or in
polythene bags. Seed beds are well manure.
The seed sowing time in most of the region
extend from first March to June. The seedling
are ready for transplantation in 10 to 12 month
after sowing. The seedlings are transplanted
after 12 months in the field. The planting is
generally done in rainy season.

6. USES
• The dyes obtained from heartwood of the
plant when it is boiled with water.
• It is widely largely used in painting and
colouring paper.
• It is used for dying cloth.
• The ship cells are also dyed with katha to
protect from weather and sea water.
• After dinner people eating vidda with katha
used in pan.

7. THANK YOU