Senegalia catechu, previously known as Acacia catechu, is a deciduous, thorny tree which grows up to 15 m (50 ft) in height. The plant is called kachu in Malay; the Malay name was Latinized to \"catechu\" in Linnaean taxonomy, as the species from which the extracts cutch and catechu are derived. Other common names for it include kher,  catechu, cachou, cutchtree, black cutch, and black catechu.