Tectona grandis (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Tectona grandis L.f.

Protologue: Suppl. pl: 151 (1782).

Synonyms

• Tectona theka Lour. (1790).

Vernacular names

• Teak (En)
• Teck (Fr)
• Indonesia: jati (general), deleg, kulidawa (Java)
• Philippines: djati (Sulu), dalanang (Panay Bisaya)
• Burma: kyun
• Laos: sak
• Thailand: sak (general), mai-sak
• Vietnam: cây tếch, giá tị.

Distribution

T. grandis occurs naturally in peninsular India, Burma, Thailand and Laos. It was probably introduced to Java several hundred years ago and now occurs more or less naturally. It is cultivated on a large scale both inside and outside the Malesian region.

Uses

As given for the genus.

Observations

• A medium-sized to large tree up to 50 m tall, bole straight and branchless for up to 20(-25) m, with a diameter up to 150(-250) cm, sometimes fluted or with low buttresses at base, bark surface with longitudinal cracks, greyish-brown, inner bark with red and sticky sap.
• Leaves broadly ovate, (11-)20-55 cm × (6-)15-37 cm (but much larger on suckers), stellate-floccose.
• Inflorescence about 40 cm × 35 cm.
• Flowers 3-6 mm long, calyx campanulate, corolla white with pink on the lobes.
• Fruit enclosed by an inflated calyx.

Several morphological forms have been distinguished, principally by leaf characters. T. grandis generally occurs in deciduous forest on fertile, well-drained soil up to 1000 m altitude. The density of the wood is (480-)610-750(-850) kg/m³ at 12% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

55, 58, 59, 80, 84, 88, 94, 102, 103, 145, 153, 159, 168, 175, 190, 226, 310, 315, 336, 351, 359, 364, 387, 390, 391, 395, 408, 409, 417, 418, 441, 461, 509, 516, 519, 534, 543, 549, 579, 610, 624, 636, 698, 724, 754, 757, 763.

Main genus page

• Tectona

Authors

• M.S.M. Sosef (selection of species)