Teak

My earliest memories of tall teak trees are as a student at boarding school in the foothills of the Himalayas--the Shivalik range, where ...Read Moreteak forests on the hillsides were a common sight. At that time I remember thinking that the trees were not a pretty sight and today also I don't find them attractive. The leaves are coarse and card paper stiff, and the overall appearance of the tree is kind of scraggly looking even when it has leaves. A large tree it seems to be out of place in a residential garden setting--it is more at home as a roadside tree. At the same time, some people consider it an ornamental tree for gardens.

However, despite its slow growth and overall unattractive appearance of the tree, it is one of the most prized woods for fine furniture, decorative veneers and construction work-- 'Burma teak' being the finest. The best teak has a fine grain, is a durable but soft wood of medium weight and density, is very dimensionally stable after curing, resistant to many chemicals and weather conditions. It has an oil in it that apparantly makes it resistant to termites and other boring insects. It is also useful for shipbuilding as the wood is resistant to the wood-boring teredo shipworm (teredo is actually a marine mollusc that bores into submerged wood, eating it, weakening and destroying it.)

In my home I have antique teak furniture, amongst which are an old carved Burma teak door and frame, and a wooden swing and frame from Kerala which date back to the late 1700's and early 1800's and are in first class condition. (Very heavy!) Indian teak is called "CP Teak" and "Nagpur teak" and it's grain structure is very different from Burma teak. The term 'CP teak' dates back to the British rulership days referring to the 'Central Provinces (CP)' which encompassed much of the Deccan Plateau including the Nagpur area.

CP & Nagpur teak havemo re defined, patterned and darker grains and seems to be more brittle--I suspect this last is because this teak is coming from managed plantation forests and not from very old trees--probably around 25 year old trees.

Propagation by seeds requires soaking and drying the seeds for a day alernately for two weeks and then soaking them in water for two days before planting in growing medium. Fruits buried in soil in a dormant state for more than 30 years have germinated well. Currently the budding or grafting method yields better results, with tissue-cultured plants giving the best results for better growth.

A very fine wood for furniture and interiors with good strength and lasting qualities, but not my favourite as a tree in the landscape department. If not for the qualities of the wood I would rate this tree as 'neutral'.

It grows easily without much care. Reasonably fast grower. But if it is grown for its timber, it will take about 20 years for it to reac...Read Moreh a 'harvesting' stage. Leaves are huge and provides good shade. Wood is preferred in construction work etc., for its amazing property of keeping termites away. The oil in the wood is the key. Once the oil dries out - it takes many many years - then it will become liable for termite attack.