Mimosaceae · Acacia

Senegaliya / Black Catechu

Acacia caesia

Also known as Soap Bark

LianaMedicinal
Habit
Liana
Found in India
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka & more
Flowering
June-April

Plant Details

Scientific name
Acacia caesia
Genus
Acacia
Habit
Liana
Habitat
River banks, wasteland, scrub jungles and along hill slopes. Foot hills of evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests
Habitat type
Wetland, Forest, Scrub, Wasteland
Distribution
India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malesia
Found in India
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, Odisha, Bihar, Daman & Diu, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Nagaland
Flowering & fruiting
June-April
Conservation status
Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf shape
Feathery bipinnate leafletsrecorded

Typical of the family

Arrangement
Alternate
Entire margin leaf character
Margin
Entire
Pinnate venation leaf character
Venation
Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Senegaliya itself; the rest are typical of the Mimosaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Inflorescence
Head
Fruit
Legume

Typical of the Mimosaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.

Local Names

Tamil
ஈங்கை
Malayalam
ഇഞ്ച, Acacia caesia
Hindi
सेनेगालिया senegaliya

About Senegaliya

A member of the Mimosaceae family, Black Catechu (Acacia caesia) is a woody climber. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka and 26 other states. It grows in river banks, wasteland, scrub jungles and along hill slopes. Foot hills of evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests. Flowering and fruiting run from June to April.

Illustration representing the Mimosaceae family
Botanical family

Mimosaceae

Mimosa/Acacia family

Senegaliya belongs to the Mimosaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

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