Catha edulis, Arabian tea, Khat, Qat - Seeds - plants - dried herbs

Common names: Khat, qat, edible kat, Abyssinian tea, Arab tea, Arabian tea

Botanical name & synonyms: Catha edulis, Catha forsskalii, Catha inermis, Celastrus edulis, Celastrus tsaad, Dillonia abyssinica, Methyscophyllum glaucum, Trigonotheca serrata

Family: Staff vine, bittersweet (Celastraceae)

Kat, an evergreen tree, it grows to a height of 20m, but is usually kept as a manageable shrub in cultivation. A native of North East Africa, it prefers well drained soils in a sunny position, and is drought and frost tender.

Propagation is by seed. Soak in warm water for a day before sowing, the seeds may be sown in pots filled with compost or seeding mix about 5mm deep, temperature for germination best 35-40°C.