Tectona Grandis
Family : Verbenaceae
Common Name : Teak
English Name : Teak
Hindi Name : Sagun
Telugu Name : Teku
Bengali Name : Saguna
Tree Characteristics :
A very popular timber tree, teak is native to India and Burma to Java. It is a deciduous tree attaining a very large size. Teak is considered a good quality wood for furniture. Leaves of the tree are opposite, 30-60 cm long and 15-30 cm broad. The flowers come in large numbers in lax clusters at the end of branches. They are white and rather small - about 6 mm across. The fruit is about 15 mm across, spongy, enclosed in the persistent calyx. Flowers appear in monsoon, fruit ripens in winter. From November to January, the tree is leafless.
Nursery Practice :
Pretreated seeds are put in big primary beds and beds watered copiously every day. Germination takes place in 10 to 20 days. During next rainy season, plants are uprooted and stumps are prepared which are planted in field in crow-bar holes. No. of fruits per Kg is 1,850 to 3,100 and the Germination percentage is 10 to 15. Pretreatment - Either boiling water treatment; or immersion in cold water for several days; or scorching in light fire of leaves and grass; or alternate soaking and drying for 48 hours each for 12 to 15 days; or acid treatment; or weathering; or placing the seeds in a paste of cowdung and water for few days.
Economic Use:
Wood very durable, resistant to fungi. Used for poles, beams, trusses, columns, roofs, doors, window frames, flooring, planking, panelling, and staircases, and other constructional work.
Teak is employed for sound – boards of musical instruments, keys etc. and for different grades of plywood.
Wood waste in the form of wood- shavings and sawdust is used for chip-boards, fibreboards, and plastic boards.
