Teakwood, Sagwan - 0.5 kg Seeds

Tectona grandis (Tectona grandis), known as teak or sagwan, is a large deciduous hardwood tree reaching 25-40 m with a tall, clean bole and very large, rough, papery leaves. It is the most valuable timber tree in India, native to the deciduous forests of central and peninsular India and widely cultivated in plantations across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and the north-east. Small white flowers appear in large terminal panicles during the rains, followed by clustered, hard, husk-covered fruits.

Teak is grown almost entirely for its golden-brown heartwood, which is exceptionally strong, dimensionally stable and resistant to termites, decay and weather, making it the premier wood for furniture, doors, window frames, flooring, boat building and fine joinery. It is a mainstay of commercial forestry and farm-forestry agroforestry in India, also providing shade and high-value timber on field bunds and woodlots.

• Family: Lamiaceae (formerly Verbenaceae)
• Native region: Central and peninsular India and South-East Asia
• Mature height: 25-40 m
• Growth rate: Moderate to fast in good sites

Sowing the seed: teak fruits are notoriously dormant and need pre-treatment. The classic method is alternate wetting and drying, soaking the fruits in water for 12 hours then sun-drying them for 12 hours over 1-2 weeks, to crack the thick husk. Sow the treated fruits about 1-2 cm deep in raised germination beds of coarse sand; germination is uneven and slow, often taking 30 days or more. Prick out the seedlings and raise them in polybags, transplanting stumps or potted plants to the field at the start of the monsoon.