Teak

Teak foliage and fruit

Plant Info

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Verbenaceae
Genus:	Tectona

Species

Tectona grandis

Tectona hamiltoniana
Tectona philippinensis

Teak (Tectona), is a genus of tropical hardwood trees in the family Verbenaceae, 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, which has cognates in other Dravidian languages. 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.

Tectona hamiltoniana (Dahat Teak) is a local endemic species confined to Myanmar, where it is endangered.
Tectona philippinensis (Philippine Teak) is endemic to the Philippines, and is also endangered.

Cultivation and uses

The timber 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, however kiln drying allows for sustainable, plantation-grown teak to perform nearly on par with old-growth teak.

Vimanmek Mansion Bangkok, Thailand. The largest golden teak building in the world.

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 the attack of termites. The mature teak fetches a very good price. The age of the tree can be assessed from the annual rings formed every year inside the trunk. Teak 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 Forestry Stewardship Council offers certification of sustainably grown and harvested teak products. Experiments are on to arrive at 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.

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.