Top

Scientific Name
Synonyms
Family
Common Names
Origin
Cultivation
Naturalised Distribution
Habitat
Habit
Distinguishing Features
Seedling
Stems and Leaves
Flowers and Fruit
Reproduction and Dispersal
Environmental Impact
Other Impacts
Legislation
Management
Similar Species
Print Fact Sheet
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWYXZ

Click on images to enlarge

By lalithamba (originally uploaded to Flickr as Acacia chundra DC) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Senegalia chundra

Scientific Name

Senegalia chundra (Roxb. ex Rottler) Maslin

Synonyms

Acacia catechu var. sundra (Roxb.) Kurz

Acacia campylacantha Hochst. ex A. Rich.
Acacia catechu (L. f.) Willd.
Acacia polyacantha Willd.
Acacia sundra (Roxb.) DC.
Mimosa catechu L. f.
Mimosa sundra Roxb.

Family

Fabaceae: sub-family Mimosoideae (New South Wales)
Leguminosae (South Australia)
Mimosaceae (Queensland, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)

Common Names

black catechu, black cutch, catechu, cutch, cutch tree, dark catechu, gum catechu

Origin

Native to the Indian sub-continent (i.e. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal ), southern China, and south-eastern Asia (i.e. Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, etc.).

Cultivation

Cutch tree (Senegalia chundra) is generally not grown as an ornamental in Australia. However, it has occasionally been cultivated in botanical gardens in the past.

Naturalised Distribution

This species currently has a very restricted distribution in Australia. Apart from occasional cultivated specimens, it is only known to occur in isolated patches around Darwin, in the Northern Territory.

Habitat

This species is currently only found in areas near habitation in Australia. However, it is considered to be a potential weed of open woodlands, grasslands and overgrazed pastures in tropical, sub-tropical and semi-arid environments.

In India and Myanmar (i.e. Burma), within its native range, it is weedy in overgrazed grasslands.

Habit

A shrub or small tree growing 3 to 15 m tall, but usually only reaching about 6-10 m in height. In cooler climates cutch tree (Senegalia chundra) may lose some or all of its leaves during late winter (i.e. it may be semi-deciduous or deciduous).

Distinguishing Features

Seedling

Seedlings have two undivided seed leaves (i.e. cotyledons). The first true leaves are twice-compound (i.e. bi-pinnate), but only have two pairs of branchlets (i.e. pinnae), each bearing several pairs of tiny leaflets (i.e. pinnules).

Stems and Leaves

The bark on older trees is dark brown to greyish-black in colour, rough, and has numerous lengthwise fissures. This bark sometimes peels off in long strips and the base of the trunk of mature trees can be 30-40 cm across. Younger branches are hairless (i.e. glabrous), or almost so, and have a covering of corky bark. The branches are usually armed with pairs of stout spines (5 to 10 mm long) at the base of each of the alternately arranged leaves. These spines have a broad base and are usually hooked (i.e. slightly recurved), or occasionally straightish.

The leaves (5-20 cm long) are twice-compound (i.e. bipinnate) and have a somewhat ferny appearance. They consist of a leaf stalk (i.e. petiole), which extends into hairy main stalk (i.e. rachis) that bears 7 to 30 pairs of hairy branchlets (i.e. pinnae). The leaf stalk (15-30 mm long) has a small slightly-raised structure (i.e. gland) that is either disc-shaped (i.e. discoid) or oblong in shape. The extension of the leaf stalk (i.e. rachis) is usually 6-12 cm long (sometimes longer) and has similar raised structures (i.e. glands) at the junction of the uppermost one to six pairs of branchlets (i.e. pinnae). These leaf branchlets (usually 3-4 cm long) each bear numerous (6 to 50) pairs of small oblong or elongated leaflets (i.e. pinnules). The leaflets (2-6 mm long) are hairless (i.e. glabrous) or have tiny hairs (i.e. cilia) along their margins.

Flowers and Fruit

The small whitish or pale yellow flowers are fluffy in appearance, with relatively inconspicuous petals and sepals and numerous more obvious stamens. They are stalkless (i.e. sessile) and densely arranged in elongated spike-like clusters (35-75 mm long). These flower clusters are borne on stalks (i.e. peduncles) that emanate from the forks (i.e. axils) of the leaves. There may be one to four of these flower clusters present in each leaf fork. Flowering occurs throughout the year, but is mainly apparent during the wet season (i.e. during late spring and summer in northern Australia).

The fruit is a large and elongated pod (50-125 mm long and 15-20 mm wide) that is borne on a short stalk. These pods are flattened, relatively straight, somewhat shiny in appearance, and have a distinctive pointed tip (i.e. beak). They turn dark brown as they mature and their lower parts are usually softly hairy (i.e. pubescent). When fully mature, they split open to release 2-10 relatively large seeds (5-8 mm across). These seeds are flattened and dark brown in colour.

Reproduction and Dispersal

This species reproduces mainly by seed, although suckering from the base of the plant may also occur. Mature trees can produce large numbers of seeds that are thought to remain viable for many years. Suckering usually only occurs when the main stem is removed, stimulating very dense regrowth from numerous stems.

Seeds may be dispersed large distances after the mature fruit are eaten by larger animals (e.g. cattle). They may also be spread by water, human activities, or in mud sticking to animals, vehicles and footwear.

Environmental Impact

Cutch tree (Senegalia chundra) is on the Alert List for Environmental Weeds, a list of 28 plants that threatren biodiversity and have the potential to seriously degrade Australia's ecosystems. This species can form dense impenetrable stands and has the ability to displace native species in sub-tropical and tropical open woodlands (i.e. savannas) and grasslands. While not currently very widespread, it is seen as a serious threat to such communities in the wet-dry tropical regions of northern Australia.

Other Impacts

In addition to the environmental damage it may cause, cutch tree (Senegalia chundra) also has the potential to cause economic losses to agriculture. Dense stands may significantly reduce the productivity of pastures and its sharp thorns can also impede the movement and mustering of livestock.

Legislation

This species is declared under legislation in the following states and territories:

 

 

Management

For information on the management of this species see the following resources:

Similar Species

Cutch tree (Senegalia chundra) may be confused with the mesquites (Prosopis spp.), mimosa bush (Vachellia farnesiana) and prickly acacia (Vachellia nilotica). These species can be distinguished by the following differences:

Cutch tree (Senegalia chundra) may also be confused with several native wattles (Acacia spp.). However, only three species of native wattles have a pair of stout thorns at the base of each leaf (i.e. the native wattles are usually either thornless or have small elongated spines). These three native wattles can be distinguished by their globular flower clusters, as opposed to the elongated flower clusters present on cutch tree (Senegalia chundra).

Note: For a more in-depth key to all of the wattles (Acacia spp.) present in Australia, see the Wattle: Acacias of Australia CD-ROM or Flora of Australia, Volumes 11A and 11B.