Teak Tree

Botanical name: Tectona grandis

Comman name : Teak tree ,sagwan

Large tree: Deciduous

Height : 18 meters

Season : june to september you can see this beautiful flowering tree .

Bark : Pale brown ,peeling in long ,thin ,shreddy strips.

Leaves: Very largr,in opposite pair;shape variable;apex bluntly pointy,narrowed at

base,often escorting the stalk to the bottom like a wings ;very rough on upper surface ,softly
downy beneath .

Flowers: Small ,in very large terminal clusters ; 6 white petals ;stamens topped by yellow
,paddle-shaped anthers .

Fruit: A small , hard stone densely covered with wool enveloped in loose – fitting papery
jacket .

General description : The tree is a fairly slow growing , deciduous tree and it take from
sixty to eighty year to mature . it is also called indian oak . it is called saagun sewan in hindi
this tree is often refers to as Rangoon or Burma teak.bark ash coloured or brownish- grey
,and scaly .teak tree cannot be cut down without gover ment permission. For this reason
,some people are afraid to grow them in their gardens, although with permission people are
allow to use the timber .

Where it grows : This tree comes from central and southern india,Myanmar,Thailand ,and
java. It is fairly adaptable but grow best inland and love a warm ,moist , tropical climat wids
plentry of rain . in kerala,teak tree were planted in the 1840s and have now grow to as
enrmoves size ,but elsewhere, the timber has been harvested so often that most tree are
fairly small teak tree also need plentry of space light and good soil .

Uses: The tree is famous for its wood , although its quality depends on where the tree grow
. some area in india product from wood tree becoum teak it considered to be the best . the
wood contain repels which preserves it and stope ,insects or termies from eating it so that
even the pooret quality wood has many uses. The leaves are used as plant and for covering
roof . when the tender leaves are scratched a red colour appear and this is used for dyeing
cloth. The ash of the burnt wood is supposed to be very good for the eyes .many tribal
worship plant and tree astotems for protection against evil,and the teak is one such tree for
the bhil inbuls.
Or Indian Oak. Called Saigun in Hindi, Saka in Sanskrit, Sag in Marathi, Saguna in Bengali
and Saga in Gujarati.

WHERE IT GROWS: This tree comes from central and southern India, Burma and
Thailand. It is fairly adaptable but grows best inland and loves a warm, moist tropical
climate with plenty of rain. Teak trees also need plenty of space, light, and a good soil. They
are often found near rivers and can grow enormously tall.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The tree is a fairly slow growing deciduous tree, but takes
time to mature (sixty to eighty years). The bark is ash coloured or brownish-grey and scaly.
Until recently there were laws to protect teak trees, so that they could not be cut down
without government permission. For this reason some people are still afraid to grow them
in their own gardens. They are however very attractive trees. There are caves in which the
ceilings are lined with planks of teak which are supposed to be over 2000 years old. When
travelling- in the countryside from June to September look for this beautiful flowering tree.

LEAVES: Large and strong they grow in pairs and are shed from November to January in
dry areas. In moist areas they often remain on the tree until March. The tree remains bare
during the hot weather and the new leaves start early in the monsoon season. In some areas
certain insects eat away the leaves leaving only skeletons, making the tree look wild and
untidy.

FLOWERS: Pyramids of tiny white scented blooms appear from June to September. They
stand out above the leaves and make the tree look very beautiful. The flowering stems
remain on the tree long after the flowers have died.

FRUIT: Like tiny crushed green Chinese lanterns they contain a furry nut. The seeds inside
take a long time to develop.

USES: The tree is most famous for its wood although its quality depends on where the tree
grows.

Some areas in India produce fine wood but Burma teak is considered to be the best. The
wood contains a resin which preserves it and stops insects or white ants from eating it, so
that even the poorer quality wood has many uses. The leaves are used as plate and for
covering the roofs of cottages. When the tender leaves are scratched, a red colour appears
and this is used for dyeing cloth. Ash from the wood when burned is supposed to be very
good for the eyes.
TEAK TREE TECTONA GRANDIS Fam. Verbenaceae. Takku (Sinh.); Kyun (Burmese);
Satgun (Hind., Beng.); Tek, teaku-maram (Tam.); Chek (Mal.); Teaku (Sinh.); Jati (Malay.);
Teak Tree, Indian Oak (Eng.)

THERE can be few who have not heard of the Teak Tree, but there are many who have no
knowledge of its appearance and are unaware of the numerous localities in which its
appears. It is a lofty tree, handsome when in flower, usually found in detached clumps and
growing best by the sides of rivers. Many are as much as 45 m. high, but they take sixty to
eighty years to reach maturity. The bark is ash coloured and scaly. For the greater part of
the year the Teak is ugly as the huge leaves are nearly all eaten by a certain type of insect
which leaves only the skeletons and, during the dry season, every leaf falls, forming a crisp
carpet on the ground beneath. But from June until September, when every tree in a clump is
in fresh, new leaf and crowned with a haze of blossom, they are a really splendid sight.
Large and strong, the leaves grow in pairs, each pair being crosswise to the next.
Underneath, they are like soft felt, banded by hard brown cords, above they have the texture
of fine sandpaper and, when reduced by insects to skeletons the beautiful net-work of veins
can be studied. In young trees the leaves are even larger — sometimes as much as 60- cm.
long. Overtopping the foliage, the huge pyramids of flowers are many times sub-divided
and, like the leaves, the branchlets are in pairs and alternate in direction; they bear
innumerable, minute, round buds and tiny, white flowers. Each white, scented flower is five
or six-petalled and sits in a wee, round calyx, but out of the millions which appear only a
few are fertile. Those few, about September, turn into small, green Chinese lanterns which
eventually increase in size until they are about 2.5 cm. across. They are papery and
crumpled and much too large a covering for the small, furry nut inside. Except for the fact
that many of the leaves are getting eaten and torn, the Teak now looks very handsome. The
lacy pattern of the numerous flower stalks dotted with bright green balls is extremely
decorative. So large are the flower spikes and leaves and so tiny the flowers that no small
illustration would be of any help in identifying this tree.

The Teak is a native of India and Burma and is extensively cultivated in the North and also
in Sri Lanka, Siam, Malaysia and Indonesia because of its great value as timber, and tends to
naturalise in suitable ones yet there are many parts of these countries where the tree will
grow but not produce timber of any commercial value. The wood is very heavy, strong and
durable, resists white-ants and contains an oil with strong and characteristic scent which
preserves the timber and also the nails which are driven into it. It is expensive except where
plentiful and is widely used for furniture, houses and ships. It is a tree which needs plenty of
space; crowded, it strives upwards towards the light, achieving only height, but, given
plenty of space and good drainage, it attains great girth and strength. The bloodred sap of
the leaves can be used as a fabric dye. In emergencies the leaves themselves can be plates,
umbrellas or thatch. As can be expected from such a widely grown tree, many parts of it
have numerous medicinal uses, The wood can be used to alleviate headaches, dyspepsia and
stomach complaints. As ashes it is, said to improve the sight. From the bark and also from
the flowers a concoction is prepared which relieves bronchitis. Tectona and Teak are both
derived from the Portuguese name teca, which is from the Greek tekton ―a carpenter‖.
Grandis, in Latin, means ―large‖.