Acacia auriculiformis, commonly known as auri, karuvel in tamilnadu and karnataka, is a fast-growing, crooked, gnarly tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Australia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It grows up to tall. Acacia auriculiformis has about . Identification Acacia auriculiformis is an evergreen tree that grows between to tall, with a trunk up to long and in diameter. The trunk is crooked and the bark vertically fissured. Roots are shallow and spreading. It has dense foliage with an open, spreading crown. Leaves long and wide with 3–8 parallel nerves, thick, leathery and curved. Flowers are long and in pairs, creamy yellow and sweet scented. Pods are about , flat, cartilaginous, glaucous, transversely veined with undulate margins. They are initially straight but on maturity become twisted with irregular spirals. Seeds are transversely held in the pod, broadly ovate to elliptical, about . At Kozhikode (Kerala, India), flocks of jungle crow (large-billed crow, Corvus macrorhynchos), grey-headed myna (chestnut-tailed starling, Sturnia malabarica) and red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) have been observed to feed on the seeds with the aril which is exposed when the pods are split. These birds also probably help in dispersal of seeds. The generic name Acacia comes from the Greek word 'akis' meaning a point or a barb and the specific epithet comes from the Latin 'auricula'- external ear of animals and 'forma'- form, figure or shape, alluding to the shape of the pod. Local names on the subcontinent: Telugu: Minnumaanu (మిన్నుమాను), Kondamanu (కొండ మాను), Seema Babul (సీమ బాబుల్), Maha Babul (మహా బాబుల్); Bengali: Akaashmoni; Tamil: Karuvel, Thai: กระถินณรงค์ Uses This plant is raised as an ornamental plant, as a shade tree and it is also raised on plantations for fuelwood throughout southeast Asia, Oceania and in Sudan. Its wood is good for making paper, furniture and tools. It contains tannin useful in animal hide tanning. In India, its wood and charcoal are widely used for fuel. Gum from the tree is sold commercially, but it is said not to be as useful as gum arabic. In Thailand the small fresh leaves are eaten, often with nam prik chili sauce or papaya salad. The tree is used to make an analgesic by indigenous Australians. Extracts of Acacia auriculiformis heartwood inhibit fungi that attack wood. Aquous extracts of A. auriculiformis show developmental inhibitory effects on Bactrocera cucurbitae (the melon fly). Functional uses Products Fodder: Not widely