Teak
Teak is a kind of tree which has high quality wood. Big tree, straight stem, with the height up to 30 – 40 metres. Big leaves and fall at dry season. Teak comes from the word ‘thekku’ (Malayalam language) part of India. Its scientist name is Tectona Grandis L.f.
Teak Trees
Habitat
Big tree with cylinder and straight stem, total height up to 40 metres, its clear bole at about 18-20 metres. Tectona Grandis sp can live for hundred years with the height 40-45 metres with diameter 1.8 – 2.4 metres. Average height of teak at 9 – 11 metres with diameter 0.9 – 1.5 metres.
Good quality of teak which has big round line, straight stem, and less branches. The best quality teak wood comes from the tree with more than 80 years old. Generally, it has big leaves with dimension 60 – 70 cm x 80 – 100 cm. It has fuzz on its surface with a follicles below. The young trees is red color and has bloody red latex. It has compound flowers with dimension 40 cm x 40 cm or more which contains hundred of flower buds.The fruits is oval and rather flat and thin with dimension 0.5 – 2.5 cm, has 2 – 4 seeds, but generally only 1 seed can grow up.
Ecological side
Teak spread up from India, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and China mainland to Java – Indonesia. Teak grows up at the dry forest and fall it leaves on dry season. Some of botanist believed that Teak origins from Burma and spread up to India, Thailand, Phillipphine, and Java but the other said that teak origins from Burma, India, Thailand, and Laos.
Around 70% of the world needs on teak is fulfilled by Burma and the rest are from India, Thailand, Java, Srilanka, and Vietnam. The only one resource of natural teak forest comes from Burma. Teak mostly spread in Asia. The suitable climate for teak growing is at the dry season with the average rainfall between 1200 – 3000 mm/year with high light intencity all over the year. The optimal upland height at about 0 – 700 metres though it can still grow up at 1300 metres upland.