FOREST TREES AND PRODUCTS OF THE TROPICS 223 
One of the most valuable East Indian woods is 
teak (Tectona grandis). It is highly prized in Eng- 
land for ship-building, car construction, and orna- 
mental work. It is the most important tree of Java 
and India, and has been for many years a royal tree. 
By “ royal tree ” is meant a tree which, because of 
its superior qualities, has been reserved from time 
immemorial for the sole use of the Government or 
ruling personages. No native of India could cut it 
from the public domain for his own use. The wood 
has a pleasant aroma, and rich brown color. It is ex- 
ceedingly durable and strong, does not crack, warp, 
rust nails, or shrink, and takes a handsome polish. 
A wood which is shipped north in large quantities 
from tropical America is lignum-vitee. This is one of 
the hardest and toughest of all woods. It is used in 
the manufacture of ship’s blocks, pulleys, bearings 
in machinery, tenpin balls, ete. 
Various woods are known as “ lancewood,” which 
is used for carriage shafts, whip-handles, tips of fish- 
ing rods, spars for small boats, ete., because of its 
lightness, strength, and elasticity. 
A heavy black wood familiar to all is ebony. So 
heavy is it, in fact, that it sinks in water. This is true 
of many tropical woods. Ebony is the heart-wood of 
several species of persimmon, the best of which is 
Diospyros discolor of the Philippine Islands. 
