Teak
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| Teak foliage and seeds | |
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| Species: | T. grandis
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| Binomial name | |
| Tectona grandis | |
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Teak (Sanskrit : saka साक), is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products.[1] Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the Caribbean. Myanmar accounts for nearly one third of the world's total teak production.[citation needed]
The word teak comes from the Malayalam (in the Malabar region) word theka or tekka.[2]
Tectona grandis is a large, deciduous tree that is dominant in mixed hardwood forests. It has small, fragrant white flowers and papery leaves that are often hairy on the lower surface.
Description
Tectona grandis is a large, deciduous tree up to 40 m (131 ft) tall with gray to grayish brown...she is a girl
Distribution and habitat
Tectona grandis is one of three species in the genus Tectona. The other two species, T. hamiltoniana and T. philippinensis, are endemics with relatively small native distributions in Myanmar and the Philippines, respectively.[3] Tectona grandis is native to India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, northern Thailand, and northwestern Laos.[4][5]
Tectona grandis is found in a variety of habitats and climatic conditions from arid areas with only 500 mm of rain per year to very moist forests with up to 5,000 mm of rain per year. Typically, though, the annual rainfall in areas where teak grows averages 1,250-1,650 mm with a 3-5 month dry season.[6]
Botanical history
Tectona grandis was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus the Younger in his 1782 work Supplementum Plantarum.[7] In 1975, Harold Norman Moldenke published new descriptions of four forms of this species in the journal Phytologia. Moldenke described each form as varying slightly from the type specimen: T. grandis f. canescens is distinguished from the type material by being densely canescent, or covered in hairs, on the underside of the leaf, T. grandis f. pilosula is distinct from the type material in the varying morphology of the leaf veins, T. grandis f. punctata is only hairy on the larger veins on the underside of the leaf, and T. grandis f. tomentella is noted for its dense yellowish tomentose hairs on the lower surface of the leaf.[8]
Cultivation
Teak is a yellowish brown timber with good grains and texture. It is used in the manufacture of outdoor furniture, boat decks, and other articles where weather resistance is desired. It is also used for cutting boards, indoor flooring, countertops and as a veneer for indoor furnishings.
Teak, though easily worked, can cause severe blunting on edged tools because of the presence of silica in the wood. Teak's natural oils make it useful in exposed locations, and make the timber termite and pest resistant. Teak is durable even when not treated with oil or varnish. Timber cut from old teak trees was once believed to be more durable and harder than plantation grown teak. Studies have shown[9] Plantation Teak performs on par with old-growth teak in erosion rate, dimensional stability, warping, and surface checking, but is more susceptible to color change from UV exposure.
The vast majority of commercially harvested teak is grown on teak plantations found in Indonesia and controlled by Perum Perhutani (a state owned forest enterprise) that manages the country's forests. The primary use of teak harvested in Indonesia is in the production of outdoor teak furniture for export.[10]
Teak consumption raises a number of environmental concerns, such as the disappearance of rare old-growth teak. However, its popularity has led to growth in sustainable Plantation Teak production throughout the seasonally dry tropics in forestry plantations. The Forest Stewardship Council offers certification of sustainably grown and harvested teak products. Propagation of teak via tissue culture for plantation purposes is commercially viable.[11]
Much of the world's teak is exported by Indonesia and Myanmar. There is also a rapidly growing plantation grown market in Central America (Costa Rica) and South America.
Hyblaea puera, an insect native to southeast Asia, is a teak pest whose caterpillar feeds on teak and other species of trees common in the region.[12]
Uses
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.
Leaves of the teak wood tree are used in making Pellakai gatti (jackfruit dumpling), where batter is poured into a teak leaf and is steamed.[citation needed] This type of usage is found in the coastal district of Udupi in the Tulunadu region in South India. The leaves are also used in gudeg, a dish of young jackfruit made in Central Java, Indonesia, and give the dish its dark brown color.
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.
Propagation
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Teak is propagated mainly from seeds. Germination of the seeds involve 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.[13][14]
References
- ^ "GRIN Taxonomy for Plants - Tectona". United States Department of Agriculture.
- ^ Chambers, W. 1875. Chambers's Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. London. p. 513.
- ^ Tewari, D. N. 1992. A monograph on teak (Tectonia grandis Linn.f.). International Book Distributors.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
FOCwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Tangmitcharoen and Owenswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Kaosa-ard, A. 1981. Teak its natural distribution and related factors. Nat. His. Bull. Siam. Soc., 29: 55-74.
- ^ "Tectona grandis". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
- ^ Moldenke, H. N. 1975. Notes on new and noteworthy plants. LXXVII. Phytologia, 31: 28.
- ^ http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf2001/willi01d.pdf
- ^ http://www.regencyteak.com/
- ^ Teak tissue culture company: http://wtamc.com/PlantingMaterials.htm
- ^
Herbison-Evans, Don (2007-09-06). "[[Hyblaea puera]]". University of Technology, Sydney. Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ Kadambi, K. (1972). Silviculture and management of Teak. Bulletin 24 School of Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University Nacogdoches, Texas
- ^ B. Robertson (2002) Growing Teak in the Top End of the NT. Agnote. No. G26 PDF
External links
Media related to Tectona grandis at Wikimedia Commons
Beach, Chandler B., ed. (1914). The New Student's Reference Work. Chicago: F. E. Compton and Co. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)