Spiny South and South-East Asian tree, formerly Acacia catechu, providing the dark resinous extract called cutch — a major source of brown dye and tannin, and a traditional ingredient in betel-nut chewing.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 9–12 | −6.7 °C to 15.6 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H2 | 1 °C to 5 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 9 | −1 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 4–7 | 0 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
Growing notes
- Brown dye and tannin extracted from heartwood chips by boiling — used for tanning leather, dyeing cotton (the original khaki of British colonial uniforms), and as the brown ingredient in betel quid
- The original meaning of "khaki" — Hindi for "dust-coloured" — referred to cloth dyed with cutch, before synthetic dyes took over
- Source of catechin compounds, of considerable interest in nutritional chemistry — but the medicinal claims are not the focus here
- Frost-tender — strictly warm-climate cultivation
- Not reliably hardy outdoors in Canada — Canadian zone values shown represent the system maximum and do not imply garden cultivation north of the warmest coastal pockets.
Categories
Related plants
Cross-check Catechu (Cutch) against your zones