TECTONA GEANDIS. (Nat. order Verbenaoese.) 



TECTONA, Lin.fil.— GEN\ CHAK. Calyx campanulate 5-6 cleft in fruit becoming inflated, corol infundibulifonn, tube short about equall- 

 ing the calyx limb 5-6 lobed, lobea subequal spreading, stamens 5-6 inserted on tbe tube of the corol, filaments subeqaal, anthers exserted cordate 2 

 celled, cells parallel dehiscing longitudinally ; ovary free 4 celled, cells 1 ovuled, style terminal filiform, stigma small acutely bifid. Drupe dry spongy 

 hid in the enlarged calyx containing a 4 celled hard bony nut or pyreue, embryo without albumen, radicle short inferior. A lofty tree, furnished with 

 minute stellate pubescence, leaves simple opposite or verticelled, flowers small white in large terminal panicles. 



TECTONA GEANDIS. (Roxb.) An immense tree, trunk erect up to 80-100 feet high and in girth up to 22 feet, bark 

 ash-colored and scaly. Young shoots 4 sided, sides channelled, leaves opposite oval acuminate a little scolloped, above scabrous, below 

 covered with whitish stellate often silvery scales, 1-2 feet long by 8-16 inches broad, petioles short thick generally l-l£ inch long, 

 panicles terminal very large dichotomous, hoary, furnished with lanceolate bracts at the divisions, flowers, fruit, &c. as in the generic 

 character. Roxb. II. lnd. i. 600. 



This is the well known Teak-tree which yields one of the most valuable timbers in the world, it grows to perfection on the Anamallay 

 mountains at about 2500 feet elevation, and some of these mountain trees reach a girth of about 22 feet and a straight trunk of some 80 or 90 

 feet to the first bough, it is quite confined to the dry deciduous tracts of forest and is never found growing in the moist evergreen forest called 

 sholah, though many of these tracts dovetail in and out of the Teak tracts, the tree is also found of very fine growth in a long belt of forest on the 

 confines of Mysore and Wynad from Mudumullay in the south up to Coorg, elevation 2000 to 3000 feel, also in portions of South C'anara, 

 Malabar, Cochin and Travancore, often not much above sea level, but always in the vicinity of the range of ghats and on the western side, in all 

 these low elevation tracts I have never met with a tree above 9 feet in girth and seldom over 6 or 7, bat yet it is of fine growth and beautifully 

 straight. Equally fine Teak is also found in certain tracts in the vicinity of the Oodavery. In other parts of this presidency, such as the east 

 side of the ghats in Tinnevelly, Salem, Cuddapah, North Arcol, Sc, teak is often met with on the mountains, but it is always of very poor growth 

 andirt a measure stunted ; the tree rises on. the mountains to a little above 4000/ee? elevation, but at any elevation much above 3000 it is of poor 

 growth. Beyond this presidency fine teak is found in parts of the Bombay presidency (particularly North Canara), in Birmah and in Java, 

 Sumatra, &c. The tree has been said to come to maturity in about SO years and it probably does so in the rich alluvial soil about the base of ovr 

 mountains, where its growth is rapid and its dimensions never very large ; this is however certainly not the case on the mountains, for 1 have cut 

 •many very large trees on the Anarnallays quite in their prime, which by their rings were evidently over 200 years old. The specific gravity of 

 Malabar teak is about - 720, that of Birmah leak somewhat less. Malabar teak seasoned iveighs about 45 or 46 lbs. the cubic foot, and unsea- 

 soned 55 to 60 lbs. Birmah teak is said when seasoned to weigh 37 to 43 lbs., but different conditions of groioth cause great variations. The 

 wood is very hard but easily worked and though porous very strong and durable ; in color it varies from yellovrish white to brown, it is very oily 

 when fresh, takes about 2 years to season thoroughly, it is in use for acoimtless number of purposes, but for ship building and house building it 

 may be said to be unsurpassed, it makes excellent furniture, but it splits and splinters too readily to be considered first class for gun carriages. 

 The tree produces a good oil which is used with paint as a substitute for linseed oil, and which makes a, good varnish. The tree is universally 

 known throughout this presidency by its native name Tek, and in Hindoostanee it is callei Sagwdn. It is very easily raised from seed and 

 there are large plantations of it in this presidency ; in a moist climate its growth is very rapid, particularly at first, and the seedlings grow up 

 beautifully straight. Even in climates like Madras and Cuddapah the seedlings if well watered show a very straight vigorous and rapid growth 

 for the first 2 or 3 years, but the trees afterwards do not succeed in any of these dry districts, and its cultivation would probably never repay the 

 labor. 



Analysis. 



1. The young seedling thrusting its way out of the fruit. 



2. A young seedling more advanced. 



3. A seedling in a still more advauced state. 



4. A flower, showing the corol-lobes slightly hairy on the outside. 



5. The same fully expanded, showing 6 petals (sometimes 5 only are present.) 



6. Anthers. 



7. Corol opened to show insertion of the 6 stamens (sometimes 5 only are present}, the ovary, style and stigma, corol. 



glabrouB on the inside sometimes ciliate round the margin. 



8. Ovary cut vertically. 



9. The same out transversely, showing the 4 cells. 



10. Fruit enclosed in the enlarged inflated calyx. 



11. Another view of the fruit, the enlarged calyx opened. 



12. fruit cut transversely. 



13. The same cut vertically. 



250 



