Khair

It can grow to 50 feet in height and flowers from March to May.

A very popular use is ‘kattha’, an extract of its heartwood that is used as an ingredient to give red color and flavor to ‘Paan’. Paan is an Indian and Southeast Asian tradition of chewing betel leaf with areca nut and lime paste.

It is used in traditional medicine to treat sore throats and diarrhea and also used in tanning, printing and dyeing.

Other names include Black Catechu and Cutch Tree. It is commonly planted as a street tree in India.