Name

Common Teak - Tectona grandis

Introduction:

Teak (Tectona), is a tropical hardwood tree from the family Verbenaceae. Teak is 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 and are deciduous in the dry season. The word teak originated from the Malayalam word "tēkku". References to this word have been found in ancient Tamil literature.

Description:

Leaves:

• Opposite or "whorled", rarely sub-opposite or alternate
• Mostly simple, sometimes compound
• Without stipules

Inflorescence:

• Racemes, spikes heads or vaiourly cyose and often paniculate.
• Flowers usually bisexual, zygomorphic or less often actinomorphic or nearly so 4-5-merous
• Calyx persistent, up to 8-toothed, sometimes coloured and petal-like
• Corolla tubular, commonly salverform, sometimes 2-lipped, usually with as many lobes as calyx, the lobes imbricate.
• Stames (2) 4 (5, with or without staminodes, borne on petals
• Ovary superior, 2-9-locular, often 4-locular
  

Uses:

Teak 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 is easily worked and has natural oils that make it suitable for use in exposed locations, where it is durable even when not treated with oil or varnish. Teak cut from old trees grown slowly in natural forests is more durable and harder; teak from young trees grown in plantations is more prone to splitting and water damage. It is very resistant to termites.

Mature teak fetches a very good price, and its age can be determined by counting rings formed every year inside the trunk. Teak is grown extensively by forest departments around the globe and its popularity has led to growth in sustainable production throughout the seasonally dry tropics. Teak does not grow in the rainforest.

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. Much of the world's teak is exported by Indonesia and Myanmar.