Karungali (Senegalia catechu)

Karungali, khair in Hindi and khadira in Sanskrit, is the cutch tree, a thorny dry-forest acacia whose dark heartwood is boiled down into kattha, the reddish-brown paste spread on betel leaf in paan. The same extract, cutch, was used to dye cloth khaki and to tan leather. Heavy cutting for kattha has thinned wild khair forests, and felling is regulated in most states. Older books call it Acacia catechu.

Botanical name: Senegalia catechu (L.f.) P.J.H.Hurter & Mabb.
Family: Fabaceae
Tamil: Karungali
Hindi: Khair
Sanskrit: Khadira
Parts used: Heartwood extract in lists
Habit: Thorny dry-forest khair tree; its heartwood gives kattha
Last updated: 2026-10-27

How to recognise Karungali

It is a small to medium deciduous tree with rough, dark bark that peels in long strips.

Pairs of short, hooked thorns grow at the base of each leaf.

The leaves are feathery and twice-divided into many tiny leaflets.

Pale yellow flowers form slender, cylindrical spikes, unlike the round flower balls of babul.

The pods are flat, thin and brown, with a pointed tip, and the heartwood is dark red-brown.

Traditional use of Karungali

Kitchen

Kattha is smeared on betel leaf with lime and areca nut in paan.

Indian food practice

Craft

Cutch extract dyed cotton brown and khaki and was used to tan leather and preserve fishing nets.

Indian and Asian craft practice

Ayurveda

Khadira is a classic Ayurvedic herb for skin and mouth complaints, as in khadiradi vati.

Ayurvedic practice

Modern notes on Karungali

Kattha is rich in catechins and tannins, which give its astringency and colour.

Areca nut, chewed with kattha in paan, causes mouth cancer and oral submucous fibrosis, especially with tobacco.

Khair heartwood takes decades to form, so plantations are slow to replace wild trees.

Karungali safety

Kattha itself is used in small amounts, but paan with areca nut and tobacco is harmful and best avoided. Buy khadira preparations only from tested sources.

Ecology and sourcing

It grows in dry deciduous forests and scrub across India, Nepal and Myanmar.

It fixes nitrogen and grows on poor, rocky soil.

Bees visit its flower spikes.

Related plants

Also in Fabaceae

Questions about Karungali

What is kattha?

Extract boiled from khair heartwood, used in paan.

How is Karungali different from babul?

Khair has hooked thorns and spike-shaped flowers.

Is khair protected?

Felling is regulated in most Indian states.

What is cutch?

The same extract used as a brown dye.

What was the older name of Senegalia catechu?

Acacia catechu.

Sources

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.