Senegalia catechu

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Senegalia catechu
Acacia catechu - Kohler-s Medizinal-Pflanzen-003.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Senegalia
Species:
S. catechu
Binomial name
Senegalia catechu
(L.f.) P.J.H.Hurter & Mabb.
Varieties
  • Senegalia catechu var. catechu(L.f.) P.J.H.Hurter & Mabb.
  • Senegalia catechu var. sundra(L.f.) Willd. [2]
Acacia-catechu-range-map2.png
Range of Senegalia catechu
Synonyms [3]
Catechu Catechu.jpg
Catechu

Senegalia catechu, previously known as Acacia catechu, is a deciduous, thorny tree which grows up to 15 m (50 ft) in height. [4] The plant is called kachu in Malay; the Malay name was Latinized to "catechu" in Linnaean taxonomy, as the species from which the extracts cutch and catechu are derived. [5] Other common names for it include kher, [6] catechu, cachou, cutchtree, black cutch, and black catechu.

Contents

Senegalia catechu is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Cambodia and China (Yunnan). [1]

Pollen from Senegalia catechu Black-cutch1.jpg
Pollen from Senegalia catechu

Through derivatives of the flavanols in its extracts, the species has lent its name to the important catechins, catechols and catecholamines of chemistry and biology.

Uses

Food

Senegalia catechu flowers Khair (Acacia catechu) flowers at Hyderabad, AP W IMG 7261.jpg
Senegalia catechu flowers

The tree's seeds are a good source of protein. [7] Kattha (catechu), an extract of its heartwood, gives a characteristic flavor and red color to paan, a traditional Indian and Southeast Asian method for chewing betel leaf (Piper betle) with areca nut and slaked lime paste.

Fodder

Branches of the tree are quite often cut for goat fodder and are sometimes fed to cattle. [3] [7] [8]

Folk medicine

The heartwood, bark, and wood extract (called catechu ) are used in traditional medicine. [4] [9] The concentrated aqueous extract, known as khayer gum or cutch, is astringent. [10]

Wood

Senegalia catechu trunks Khair (Acacia catechu) trunk at Hyderabad, AP W IMG 7264.jpg
Senegalia catechu trunks

The tree is often planted for use as firewood and charcoal and its wood is highly valued for furniture and tools. [4] The wood has a density of about 0.88 g/cm3. [11]

Other uses

Its heartwood extract is used in dyeing and leather tanning, as a preservative for fishing nets, and as a viscosity regulator for oil drilling. [4] Its flowers are a good source of nectar and pollen for bees.

Cultivation

Senegalia catechu pods Khair (Acacia catechu) leaves & fruits at Hyderabad, AP W IMG 7263.jpg
Senegalia catechu pods

The tree can be propagated by planting its seeds, which are soaked in hot water first. After about six months in a nursery, the seedlings can be planted in the field. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Acacia sensu lato</i> Genus of legumes

Acacia s.l., known commonly as mimosa, acacia, thorntree or wattle, is a polyphyletic genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae. It was described by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773 based on the African species Acacia nilotica. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not. All species are pod-bearing, with sap and leaves often bearing large amounts of tannins and condensed tannins that historically found use as pharmaceuticals and preservatives.

<i>Senegalia greggii</i> Species of tree

Senegalia greggii, formerly known as Acacia greggii, is a species of tree in the genus Senegalia native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, from the extreme south of Utah south through southern Nevada, southeast California, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas to Baja California, Sinaloa and Nuevo León in Mexico. The population in Utah at 37°10' N is the northernmost naturally occurring Senegalia species anywhere in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catechu</span> Extract of acacia trees

Catechu is an extract of acacia trees used variously as a food additive, astringent, tannin, and dye. It is extracted from several species of Acacia, but especially Senegalia catechu, by boiling the wood in water and evaporating the resulting brew. It is also known as cutch, black cutch, cachou, cashoo, terra Japonica, or Japan earth, and also katha in Hindi, kaat in Marathi, khaira in Odia, khoyer in Assamese and Bengali, and kachu in Malay.

<i>Cassia fistula</i> Species of plant

Cassia fistula, also known as golden shower, purging cassia, Indian laburnum, kani konna, or pudding-pipe tree, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. The species is native to the Indian subcontinent and adjacent regions of Southeast Asia. It is the official state flower of Kerala state and Delhi UT in India. It is also a popular ornamental plant and is also used in herbal medicine.

<i>Senegalia senegal</i> Species of deciduous tree

Senegalia senegal is a small thorny deciduous tree from the genus Senegalia, which is known by several common names, including gum acacia, gum arabic tree, Sudan gum and Sudan gum arabic. In parts of India, it is known as Kher or Khor. It is native to semi-desert regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Oman, Pakistan, and west coastal India. It grows to a height of 5–12 metres (16-40'), with a trunk up to 30 cm (1') in diameter. Sudan is the source of the world's highest quality gum arabic, known locally as hashab gum in contrast to the related, but inferior, gum arabic from Red acacia or talah gum.

<i>Acacia</i> Genus of plants

Acacia, commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about 1,084 species of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Australasia, but is now reserved for species mainly from Australia, with others from New Guinea, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean. The genus name is Neo-Latin, borrowed from the Greek ἀκακία, a term used in antiquity to describe a preparation extracted from Vachellia nilotica, the original type species.

<i>Acacia melanoxylon</i> Species of legume

Acacia melanoxylon, commonly known as the Australian blackwood, is an Acacia species native to south-eastern Australia. The species is also known as blackwood, hickory, mudgerabah, Tasmanian blackwood, or blackwood acacia. The tree belongs to the Plurinerves section of Acacia and is one of the most wide-ranging tree species in eastern Australia and is quite variable mostly in the size and shape of the phyllodes.

<i>Vachellia tortilis</i> Species of plant

Vachellia tortilis, widely known as Acacia tortilis but now attributed to the genus Vachellia, is the umbrella thorn acacia, also known as umbrella thorn and Israeli babool, a medium to large canopied tree native to most of Africa, primarily to the savanna and Sahel of Africa, but also occurring in the Middle East.

<i>Senegalia rugata</i> Species of plant in the Fabaceae family

Senegalia rugata is a spiny climbing shrub native to China and tropical Asia, common in the warm plains of central and south India. It is renowned as a raw material for shampoo, and the leaves and young shoots are often eaten. Archaeobotanical evidence shows its use for hair care in the pre-Harrapan levels of Banawali, some 4500–4300 years ago.

<i>Vachellia nilotica</i> Species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae

Vachellia nilotica, more commonly known as Acacia nilotica, and by the vernacular names of gum arabic tree, babul, thorn mimosa, Egyptian acacia or thorny acacia, is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. It is also considered a 'weed of national significance' and an invasive species of concern in Australia, as well as a noxious weed by the federal government of the United States.

Vachellia nilotica subsp. adstringens is a perennial tree. It is not listed as being threatened. Some common names for it are cassie, piquants blancs and piquant lulu. Its geographic distribution includes Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean area and the Middle East.

<i>Senegalia chundra</i> Species of legume

Senegalia chundra is a perennial, deciduous tree found in Asia, India and in the Indian Ocean area. It grows 12 to 15 metres in height.

<i>Vachellia karroo</i> Species of legume

Vachellia karroo, commonly known as the sweet thorn, common acacia, Karoo thorn, Cape gum or cockspur thorn, is a species of Vachellia, in the Mimosa sub-family (Mimosoideae) of the Fabaceae or pea family, which is native to southern Africa from southern Angola east to Mozambique, and south to South Africa.

<i>Senegalia laeta</i> Species of plant

Senegalia laeta, the gay acacia or daga, is a legume found in the family Fabaceae. It was formerly included in the genus Acacia.

<i>Senegalia polyacantha</i> Species of legume

Senegalia polyacantha, also known as white thorn, is a flowering tree which can grow up to 25m tall. Polyacantha has the meaning "many thorns" in Latin. The tree is native to Africa, India, the Indian Ocean and Asia, but it has also been introduced to the Caribbean.

<i>Senegalia mellifera</i> Species of legume

Senegalia mellifera is a common thorn tree in Africa. The name mellifera refers to its sweet-smelling blossoms and honey. Its lumber turns pitch black when oiled. Common names of the tree include Blackthorn and Swarthaak (Afrikaans). It is listed as being not threatened.

Vachellia nilotica subsp. indica is a perennial tree native to Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. It is also cultivated in Angola, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Tanzania. Common names for it include babul, kikar and prickly acacia.

<i>Senegalia polyacantha <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> campylacantha</i> Subspecies of legume

Senegalia polyacantha subsp. campylacantha is a perennial tree native to Africa. Common names for it are whitethorn and witdoring. It is not listed as being a threatened species. Its uses include wood and medicine.

<i>Senegalia afra</i> Species of legume

Senegalia afra, also known as hook-thorn or Acacia afra, is a tree that occurs commonly in southern Africa. Though it is cultivated, it often occurs naturally in Gauteng suburban gardens, together with Acacia karroo and Acacia robusta.

References

  1. 1 2 Plummer, J. (2021). "Senegalia catechu". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T169300001A169300339. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  2. hear.org
  3. 1 2 International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "www.fao.org". Archived from the original on 2019-02-10. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
  5. http://www.yourdictionary.com/catechu Derivation of word from Malay
  6. Ujwala, T. K.; Tomy, Shawn; Celine, Sandra; Chander, J. Sam Johnson Udaya (2015). "A Systematic Review of Some Potential Anti-Diabetic Herbs Used in India Characterized by Its Hypoglycemic Activity". International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research. 6 (12): 4940–4957. ProQuest   1747402306.
  7. 1 2 "World AgroForestry Database". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
  8. Heuzé V., Tran G., Hassoun P., Lebas F., 2018. Black cutch (Senegalia catechu). Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/354 Last updated on February 9, 2018, 13:20
  9. "Plant Details". envis.frlht.org. Retrieved 2014-10-04.
  10. British Pharmacopoeia, Department of Health, British Pharmacopoeia Commission, London. The Stationery Office, (1999)
  11. FAO Appendix 1