Description

White cutch tree A medium sized unarmed tree grows up to 10 meters in height. Leaves bipinnate, leaflets up to 50 pairs, linear-oblong; flowers sessile, white, in terminal spikes; fruits flat pods, with triangular beak on apex, containing many flat round seeds.

Characteristics:

Trees, to 15 m high, bark yellowish-grey, peels off in thin papery flakes; blaze pink red; branchlets yellow-pubescent; stipular spines infra-axillary, 8-10 mm long, paired, straight or hooked, occasionally lacking on flowering branches. Leaves paripinnate, alternate; rachis 4-20 cm long, slender, pubescent, softly prickled, pulvinate; a gland at the base on upper side; pinnae 15-25 pairs, 4-5 cm long, slender, pubescent; glands between uppermost 4 pairs; leaflets 30-50, opposite, sessile; lamina 5-7 × 0.5-1 mm, densely pubescent, chartaceous, base truncate, apex subacute or obtuse, margin ciliate; midrib near distal margin, lateral nerves and intercostae obscure. Flowers bisexual, 4 mm across, white, in axillary solitary or paired spikes, to 8 cm; peduncle to 1 cm; bracts to 6 mm; bracteoles cauducous; calyx 5-lobed, to 1.5 mm, tomentose; corolla to 3 mm long; lobes 5; stamens many, to 4 mm, basally connate; ovary stipitate, oblong, to 1 mm; style to 4 mm. Fruit a pod, stipitate, 8 ×1.5 cm, glabrous, grey, woody, oblong, base and apex horned; seeds 5-8.

Medicinal Uses:

Plant pacifies vitiated kapha, pitta, skin diseases, diabetes, ulcers, epilepsy, insanity, obesity and arthritis.