Khair
Acacia catechu
Outdoor Plants Difficulty: Easy
📖 About this plant
Acacia catechu (syn. Senegalia catechu — catechu tree or ‘Khair’ in Odia/Hindi, also called Katha) is a medium thorny deciduous tree of the Mimosaceae family. The tree’s heartwood yields catechu (katha) — a brown extract used in paan (betel leaf preparation), medicine, and tanning. Wood is hard and used for agricultural implements and fuelwood. Bark yields tannin. The tree fixes nitrogen and is naturally found in dry deciduous forests.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun
💧
Water
Regular; moderately drought-tolerant
💨
Humidity
Moderate
🌡️
Temperature
15-38°C
🪴
Soil
Well-draining loam
🧪
Fertilizer
Compost annually
🌐 Common Names
HI
Hindi
खैर
BN
Bengali
খেজুর
MR
Marathi
खैर
TE
Telugu
ఖైర్
TA
Tamil
கைர்
GU
Gujarati
ખૈર
UR
Urdu
خیر
KN
Kannada
ಖೈರ್
OR
Odia
ଖେର
ML
Malayalam
ഖൈർ
PA
Punjabi
ਖੈਰ
AS
Assamese
খেৰ
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Indian Subcontinent
- 📏 Max height
- 10-20 m
- 📐 Spread
- 4-6 m
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White-yellow
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- 40+ years
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic
- 🌱 Propagation
- Seeds
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic
Common issues
- Leaf spot
- caterpillar defoliation
💡 Care tips
- Plant in well-draining soil with appropriate light.
- Tolerates Indian tropical conditions.
🪴 Add to My Plants
One click — added instantly. Watering every 7 days, fertilizing every 30 days.