Description
Deciduous, thorny tree famous in India with the name kher.
Acacia Nilotica, also known as Acacia Arabica, gum arabic tree, Babul can be found in tropical and subtropical Africa and Asia. Acacia Nilotica is a tree of 5,20 m high. Babul tree is a drought tolerant tree but will tolerate only light frost.
The crown is low and can be flattened or a rounded umbrella-shape. It is also know for its medicinal uses.Seeds Specifications
| Seeds per Packet | 3000 |
| Common Name | Babul, Cachu, Catechu, Koir, Kheriya Baval, Kher Kagli, Khair, Sandra, Cutch Tree, black catechu |
| Height | Up to 15 m |
| Flower Colour | White to pale yellow |
| Bloom Time | July to August |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
Planting and care
- After about six months in a nursery, the seedlings can be planted in the field
Senegalia catechu care
- Acacia catechu leaves are shed around February and new leaves appear near the end of April or May
- The flowers appear when the new leaves appear and flowering continues until July or August
- Pods rapidly develop and are full-size by September or October
- They ripen from November to early January
| Sunlight | Full, Seedlings are shade intolerant. |
| Watering | Adapted to annual rainfall of 300 to 2,200 mm. Vigorous in seasonally flooded environments. |
| Soil | Tolerates a wide range of soil types, thriving in alluvial and heavy clay soils with pH 5 to 9. When used in land reclamation, A. nilotica can be planted onto degraded saline/alkaline soils with a soluble salt content below 3%. |
| Temperature | 18 to 28 degrees C. Tolerates extremes of temperature (minus 1 to 50 degrees C) when established, but is frost sensitive as a seedling. |
| Fertilizer | Use any organic fertilizer |
Senegalia catechu special feature
Can be established readily from seed.Extremely drought tolerant.Leaves and pods have high CP content.Kachu (obtained after boiling the heart wood) is high in phenolics and used for chewing with betel leaf.
Senegalia catechu uses
Medicinal Use:
- Acacia arabica is reported to possess many beneficial properties
- It is reported for In vitro antibacterial activity, antimicrobial and immuno modulatory activities
- Flavonoids, triterpenoids, alkaloids and phenolics are known to be bioactive anti diabetic principles present in Acacia arabica
- Acacia Arabica is used in traditional Indian medicine to treat diabetes mellitus
- The hypoglycemic effect of aqueous extract and hydroalcoholic extract of Acacia arabica was investigated and proved scientifically
- Oral administration of aqueous extract of Acacia arabica bark to diabetic and normal rats resulted in significant reduction of blood glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides
- The aqueous extract of Acacia arabica was found to reduce blood glucose level to its normal level with in seven days
- Histological studies of the ?-cells show its action on pancreas
- Phenolics present in Acacia arabica are found to be effective as anti hyperglycemic agents
- The gum of Acacia arabica is described in the British pharmacopoeia as a source of useful medicaments
- Acacia arabica is a good antibacterial agent
- In a clinical trial report implies the presence of substances in Acacia gum which, compared with ordinary gum, primarily inhibit the early deposition of plaque
Culinary Use:
- The tree is often planted for use as firewood and charcoal and its wood is highly valued for furniture and tools