teak (redirected from Tectona)

teak, tall deciduous tree (Tectona grandis) of the family Verbenaceae (verbena family), native to India and Malaysia but now widely cultivated in other tropical areas. Unfortunately, the wood of plantation teak is considered inferior to that of wild teak; consequently the wild populations are being decimated. Teakwood is moderately hard, easily worked, and extremely durable; beams said to be over 1,000 years old are still functional. The wood contains an essential oil that resists the action of water and prevents the rusting of iron. The heartwood is resistant to termites. Teak is superior to all other woods for shipbuilding and is also used for furniture, flooring, and general construction. Several other similar woods from unrelated trees are sometimes also called teak. Teak (Tectona grandis) is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Famiales, family Verbenaceae.

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teak

Large deciduous tree (Tectona grandis) of the verbena family, and its wood, one of the most valuable and durable timbers. Teak has been widely used in India for more than 2,000 years; some temples contain teak beams more than 1,000 years old. The tree has a straight stem, often thickened at the base, a spreading crown, and four-sided branchlets. The rough leaves are opposite or sometimes whorled, and the branches end in many small white flowers. The unseasoned heartwood has a pleasant, strong aromatic fragrance and a beautiful golden-yellow colour, which on seasoning darkens into brown, mottled with darker streaks. Resistant to the effects of water, teakwood is used for shipbuilding, fine furniture, door and window frames, wharves, bridges, cooling-tower louvers, flooring, and paneling. Its desirability has led to severe overcutting in tropical forests.