Teak

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Teak

Teak (Tectona), is a genus of tropical

Tropics

The Tropics, seated in the equatorial regions of the world, are limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23?26' N latitude, and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at 23?26' S latitude....
hardwood

Hardwood

The term hardwood is used to describe wood from non-monocot flowering plant trees and for those trees themselves. These are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen....
tree

TREE

TREE was a Boston hardcore punk band formed in the summer of 1990. They were active in the Boston music scene until disbanding in 2002....
s in the family Verbenaceae

Verbenaceae

The verbena family or vervain vamily, Verbenaceae, is a family of mainly tropical plants. They are trees, shrubs and herbs notable for heads, spikes, or clusters of small flowers, many of which have an aromatic smell....
, native to the south and southeast of Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, and is commonly found as a component of monsoon

Monsoon

A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind that lasts for several months. The term was first used in English in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and neighboring countries to refer to the big seasonal winds blowing from the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea in the southwest bringing heavy rainfall to the region....
forest

Forest

File:Stara planina suma.jpgA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on various criteria....
vegetation. They are large trees, growing to 30-40 m tall, deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe....
in the dry season

Dry season

The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillation from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year....
.

The name teak comes from the Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has Official language in India, Sri Lanka and Singapore....
word Thekku and Telugu word Teaku.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Teak'

Start a new discussion about 'Teak'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Cultivation and uses

The timber is used in the manufacture of outdoor furniture

Teak furniture

Teak is used to make outdoor furniture, boats, and other things which require resistance to the elements. Teak is used for outdoor furniture because of its natural durability in extreme weather conditions and because of its relative rarity....
, boat deck

Deck (ship)

A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a deck #Glossary or deck #Glossary, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface....
s, and other articles where weather resistance is desired. It is also used for indoor flooring and as a veneer

Wood veneer

In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 millimetre , that are typically glued onto core panels to produce flat panels such as doors, tops and panels for Cabinet , parquetry flooring and parts of furniture....
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.

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

Forestry

Forestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. Silviculture, a related science, involves the growing and tending of trees and forests....
plantation

Plantation

A plantation is usually a large farm or Estate , especially in a tropical or semitropical country, like Brazil or Nicaragua on which cotton, tobacco, lice coffee, sugar cane and the like are cultivated, usually by resident laborers....
s. The Forest Stewardship Council

Forest Stewardship Council

The Forest Stewardship Council is an international non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization established in 1993 to promote responsible management of the world?s forests....
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

Batter

Batter may refer to:* Batter * Batter * Batsman , sometimes called a batter* To hit or strike a person, as in committing the battery * To hit or strike a person, as in committing the battery , a common-law offense...
is poured in a teak leaf and is steamed.This type of usage is found in coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada

Dakshina Kannada

Dakshina Kannada , , is a coastal Districts of Karnataka in the states and territories of India of Karnataka in India. It is bordered by Udupi District to the north, Chikkamagaluru district to the northeast, Hassan District to the east, Kodagu District to the southeast, and Kasaragod District in Kerala to the south....
and Udupi

Udupi

Udupi is a city and the headquarters of the Udupi District in the States of India of Karnataka. Udupi is famous for the Krishna temple located here....
in state of Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka is a States and territories of India in the southern part of India. It was Unification of Karnataka on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act....
in India. Teak is used as a food plant by the larva

Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
e of moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the Order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy....
s of the genus Endoclita
Endoclita

Endoclita is a genus of moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 60 described species found in eastern and southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent....
including E. aroura, E. chalybeatus, E. damor, E. gmelina, E. malabaricus, E. sericeus and E. signifer and other Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is an order of insect that includes moths and butterfly. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterfly, skipper , and Hedylidae....
including Turnip Moth

Turnip Moth

The Turnip Moth is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a common European species.This is a very variable species with the forewings ranging from pale buff through to almost black....
.

Hyblaea puera

Hyblaea puera

Hyblaea puera, commonly known as the teak defoliator, is a moth native to southeast Asia. The species has also been recently reported to be present in Central America and Africa....
, an insect

Insect

Insects are the biggest class of arthropods and the only ones with wings. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. They are most diverse at the equator and their diversity declines toward the poles....
native to southeast Asia

Asia

Caterpillar

Caterpillars are the larval form of a member of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly phytophagous in food habit, with some species being entomophagous....
feeds on teak and other species of trees common in the region.. Much of the world's teak is exported by Indonesia

Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
and Myanmar

Myanmar

Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar, is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia, or Indochina. The country is bordered by the People's Republic of China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest with...
.

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.

Teak

Cultivation and uses

Propagation

Gallery of Tectona grandis (Common Teak)