Teak (
Tectona), is a genus of
tropical hardwood trees in the mint family,
Lamiaceae[Heywood, V.H., Brummitt, R.K., Culham, A. & Seberg, O. 2007: Flowering Plant Families of the World. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.], native to the south and southeast of
Asia, and is commonly found as a component of
monsoon forest vegetation. They are large trees, growing to 30-40 m tall,
deciduous in the
dry season.
The name teak comes from the
Malayalam word Thekku.
Systematics
Teak belongs to the family
Lamiaceae (in older classifications in
Verbenaceae). Sometimes it is included in the subfamily
Prostantheroideae.
There are three species of
Tectona:
- Tectona grandis (Common Teak) is by far the most important, with a wide distribution in India and Indo-China.
Cultivation and uses
The yellowish brown timber with good grains and texture from teak trunk is used in the manufacture of outdoor
furniture, boat
decks, and other articles where weather resistance is desired. It is also used for indoor
flooring and as a
veneer for indoor furnishings.
Teak, though easily worked, can cause severe blunting on edge tools because of the presence of silica in the wood. Teak's natural
oils make it ideal for use in exposed locations and termite and pest proof, where it is durable even when not treated with oil or varnish. Timber cut from old Teak trees was once believed to be more durable and harder than plantation grown Teak. Studies have shownplantation-grown teak performs on par with old-growth Teak in the following categories; Erosion Rate, Dimensional Stability, Warping, and Surface Checking.
Teak is used extensively in India to make doors and window frames, furniture and columns and beams in old type houses. It is very resistant to termite attacks. Mature teak fetches a very good price. It is grown extensively by forest departments of different states in forest areas.
Teak consumption encompasses a different set of environmental concerns, such as the disappearance of rare old-growth teak. However, its popularity has led to growth in sustainable production throughout the seasonally dry tropics in
forestry plantations. The
Forest Stewardship Council offers certification of sustainably grown and harvested teak products. Experiments are ongoing to achieve vegetative propagation from one year old stem cuttings.
Popular in the 1950s and 1960s in a style often known as
Danish modern, teak furniture has had a second boom in popularity. Teak is one of the most sought-after types of vintage furniture.
Leaves of teak wood tree are used in making Pellakai gatti (Jackfruit dumpling), where
batter is poured in a teak leaf and is steamed. This type of usage is found in coastal districts of
Dakshina Kannada and
Udupi in state of
Karnataka in India.
Teak is used as a food plant by the
larvae of
moths of the genus
Endoclita including
E. aroura,
E. chalybeatus,
E. damor,
E. gmelina,
E. malabaricus,
E. sericeus and
E. signifer and other
Lepidoptera including
Turnip Moth.
Hyblaea puera, an
insect native to southeast
Asia, is a
teak pest whose
caterpillar feeds on teak and other species of trees common in the region..
Much of the world's teak is exported by
Indonesia and
Myanmar. There is also a rapidly growing Plantation grown market in Central America (
Costa Rica) and South America.
Propagation
Teak is propagated mainly from seeds. Germination of the seeds involves pretreatment to remove dormancy arising from the thick pericarp. Pretreatment involves alternate wetting and drying of the seed. The seeds are soaked in water for 12 hours and then spread to dry in the sun for 12 hours. This is repeated for 10-14 days and then the seeds are sown in shallow germination beds of coarse peat covered by sand. The seeds then germinate after 15 to 30 days.
Gallery of Tectona grandis (Common Teak)
