Teak

Large tree, deciduous, up to 40 m tall. High-quality wood. Greyish-brown branches. Leaves ovate, 15-45 cm long, 8-23 cm wide, margins entire, papery, hairy on lower surface. Flowers small, fragrant, white, arranged in dense clusters at the end of the branches.

Native to India and Southeast Asia but naturalized in many countries in Africa and the Caribbean. Myanmar’s teak forests account for nearly half of the world’s naturally occurring teak.

Teak is propagated mainly from seeds. Germination of the seeds involves pretreatment to remove dormancy arising from the thick pericarp. Pretreatment involves alternate wetting and drying of the seed.