Acacia_catechu
Senegalia catechu
Species of legume
Senegalia catechu is a deciduous, thorny tree which grows up to 15 m (50 ft) in height.[4] The plant is called khair [5] in Hindi, and kachu in Malay; the Malay name was Latinized to "catechu" in Linnaean taxonomy, as the type-species from which the extracts cutch and catechu are derived.[6] Other common names for it include kher,[7] catechu, cachou, cutchtree, black cutch, and black catechu.
Senegalia catechu is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand and China (Yunnan).[1]
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.