Most of the people in the world may even not heard about the `Teak Tree`; and though have heard, very few of them may know about the exact timing or the availability of `Teak Tree`s. People can usually find these nice and striking trees in separated clusters that grow best by the riversides. The scientists know them as `Tectona Grandis`. Both the `Tectona` and `Teak` have derived from the Portuguese name `Teca`. The word came from the Greek word `Tekton` that means "a carpenter"; and in Latin, `Grandis` means "large". Being a member of `Verbenaceae` family, these trees can grow up to 45m in height when they are in their highest maturity of about sixty to eighty years. The trees have a lot of names in various languages like `Takku` in Sinhalese; `Kyun` in Burmese; `Satgun` in Hindi and Bengali; `Tek` or `Teaku-maram` in Tamil and `Jati` in Malayalam. The tree is known as `Teak Tree` or `Indian Oak` to the whole world as it is called so in English.

From the month of June to September every tree looks very fresh with all the new leaves and also capped with a haze of blossom. This time, they form a marvelousspectacle. However, for almost the rest of the year, the `Teak Tree` looks very ugly, as a certain type of insects eat up nearly all the huge leaves making the tree somewhat bare and uncovered. As a result, the wonderful network of veins can be studied very easily. When the season is dry, every leaf falls and also forms a crispy carpet on the ground beneath. Growing in pairs, the large and strong leaves remain diagonally to the next. In the young age, the leaves can grow up to 60 cm in length. The branchlets of the tree bear countless, little white flowers. They also remain in pairs and alternate in direction. Each scented flower normally contains five or six-petals. Out of the million flowers that the tree produces, only a few appear to be fertile. In the month of September, those flowers turn into small, green Chinese lanterns and also increase in size to 2.5 cm for the maximum. The `Teak Tree` looks very gorgeous at this time even though most of its leaves have been eaten up. The pattern of the flower is awfully decorative with its trail dotted with bright green balls. No small diagram can help to express the large flower spikes and leaves and the little flowers specifically.

The `Teak Tree` has originated from India and Burma and in the North and in Sri Lanka, Siam, Malaysia and Indonesia, these trees are being cultivated widely. Though the tree has great value as timber, in many parts of these countries the tree will grow but not produce timber of any commercial value. The wood of this tree is very heavy, tough and durable as well. It also contains oil that has strong and distinctive scent. This oil preserves the timber and also the nails that are driven into it. The wood of this tree is broadly used for making furniture, houses and also ships. It is expensive except those places where it is easily found. The tree needs plenty of space and if given, it attains great girth and strength. It strives upwards towards the light and achieves the normal height. The blood red juice that is obtained from the leaves of the tree can be used as a fabric dye as well. People can also use them as plates or umbrellas if there arouse any emergency. Most of the parts of the tree are medically valuable. The wood is used to lessen the headaches, dyspepsia and also to solve stomach problems. People believe that the ashes of this wood can improve the eyesight to a great extent.