Teak, Indian Oak - Tectona grandis
(Propagated vegetatively by rooting coppice shoots)
തേക്ക് മരം, தேக்கு, ಸಾಗುವಾನಿ, सागौन
Teak Tectona Grandis
Family: Verbenaceae
Synonym(s): Jatus grandis (L. f.) Kuntze, Tectonia theca Lour., Theka grandis (L. f.) Lam.
Common Names:
Teak, saigun, Segun (Bengali); kyun (Burmese); Indian oak, teak tree, teak wood (English); dalanang, djati (Filipino); teck (French); Teak(holz)baum, tiek (German); saga, sagach (Gujarati); sagun, sagwan, saigun (Hindi); deleg, jati, kulidawa (Indonesian); teck (Italian); deleg, kulidawa (Javanese); sak (Lao (Sino-Tibetan)); jati (Malay); saguan, teak (Nepali); bardaru, bhumisah, dwardaru, kharchchad, saka (Sanskrit); takku, teaku (Sinhala); teca (Spanish); msaji, mtiki (Swahili); tek, tekku, tekkumaram (Tamil); mai-sak, sak (Thai); teak (Trade name); c[aa]y t[ees]ch, gi[as]
Botanic Description:
Teak Tectona grandis is a large, deciduous tree reaching over 30 m in height in favourable conditions. Crown open with many small branches; the bole is often buttressed and may be fluted, up to 15 m long below the 1st branches, up to 1 m dbh. Bark is brown, distinctly fibrous with shallow, longitudinal fissures. The root system is superficial, often no deeper than 50 cm, but roots may extend laterally up to 15 m from the stem.
The very large, 4-sided leaves are shed for 3-4 months during the later half of the dry season, leaving the branchlets bare. Shiny above, hairy below, vein network clear, about 30 x 20 cm but young leaves up to 1 m long.
Flowers small, about 8 mm across, mauve to white and arranged in large, flowering heads, about 45 cm long; found on the topmost branches in the unshaded part of the crown.
Fruit is a drupe with 4 chambers; round, hard and woody, enclosed in an inflated, bladder-like covering; pale green at first, then brown at maturity. Each fruit may contain 0 to 4 seeds. There are 1 000-3500 fruits/kg.
The generic name comes from ‘tekka’, the Malabar name for T. grandis. The specific name, ‘grandis’, is Latin for ‘large’ or ‘great’.
Vegetative propagation of teak (Tectona grandis) by rooting coppice shoots is possible because of the following reasons:
Rooting potential
Coppice shoots collected after 11 months of coppicing have a high rooting potential of around 91%. This is because the mature shoots are rich in nutrients and carbohydrates.
Physiological status
The rooting of teak depends on the physiological status of the cutting, and season is no longer a major barrier in rhizogenesis.
Juvenility
The root system and adventitious root formation of cuttings collected from planted coppice shoots of mature trees are similar to those of one year-old root-stocks. This suggests that coppice shoots are juvenile regarding rooting.
Vegetative propagation is a form of asexual reproduction in plants, where they reproduce from stems, roots, and leaves. Horticulturists use propagation methods like budding and grafting to improve plants.
Teak grows well in moist sites with deep, well-drained, alluvial soil that has high calcium, organic matter, and other elements. The soil pH should be between 6.5-7.5. To produce high quality timber trees, the site should experience a dry period of 3-5 months.