Frequently asked questions

The scientific name of sagwan, or teak, is Tectona grandis L.f. It belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae; older books place it in Verbenaceae. Kew's World Checklist (via GBIF) accepts this name.

Sagwan is called teak in English; ICRAF also lists Indian oak. In Hindi teak is सागवान (sagwan) or सागौन (sagaun), also written sagun. Other Indian names include saag in Marathi and Gujarati, segun in Bengali and tekku in Tamil.

Plant a polybag or root-trainer sapling at the start of the rains, in full sun, on deep soil that drains well. A pit of about 45 cm each way is our rule of thumb: refill it with the dug soil mixed with well-rotted farmyard manure, plant at the depth the sapling stood in its bag, shape a shallow basin and put up a guard against cattle. Foresters often plant stumps (one-year-old seedlings cut back to a short stem and root) in a crowbar hole instead. Keep weeds and dry grass down and water only in long dry spells.

Plant teak with the monsoon, once the rains have properly wetted the soil. As a guide: July or August in central India, the Deccan, southern Rajasthan and the northern plains; June or July in the east and the north-east. On the Kerala coast, Kerala Agricultural University advises planting stumps with the pre-monsoon showers in April–May and polybag seedlings in June–July. Avoid the hot, dry months unless you can water.

A teak tree has very large, oval leaves, roughly 15–60 cm long, in opposite pairs, hairy underneath (KFRI, ICRAF). In the monsoon it carries big clusters of tiny white flowers at the branch tips, followed by roundish fruits wrapped in a papery, balloon-like cover. The bark is light brown or grey and peels in narrow vertical strips, and the tree is bare for part of the dry season. Gamhar (Gmelina arborea) also has large leaves, but its flowers are yellow-brown trumpets that open in February–April.

Teak flowers mainly in the rainy season, and Flowers of India says the fruit ripens in winter. ICRAF says early growth is rapid: in plantations about 13 m at 5 years is not unusual, slowing after roughly 15–20 years. The age of first flowering varies a lot: ICRAF reports that in Thailand it usually starts at 8 to 10 years. On dry or poor soil, expect much slower growth.

Yes, but naturally only in the hills of southern Rajasthan, which form the northern edge of wild teak in India. A 1962 Indian Forester paper describes the degraded teak forests of southern Rajasthan, and secondary geography study guides name districts such as Banswara, Dungarpur and Udaipur. In the dry west and the Thar it needs regular watering, because ICRAF gives a usual rainfall of 1,200–2,500 mm a year (our assessment).

We do not give prices, because there is no single price. A sapling's price depends on the nursery and place, and the value of a grown tree depends on its age, girth, timber quality and the local rules on felling and moving timber. Teak is a long-term tree: ICRAF gives a plantation rotation of about 80 years. Before cutting or selling teak, ask your state forest department about permits.

Not for long: as general guidance, a young plant can stay a season in a large pot with drainage holes, but teak grows into a tree of over 30 m (ICRAF) and belongs in the ground. We found no source on growing it long-term in a pot. ICRAF notes its roots are shallow but can spread up to about 15 m sideways, so about 6 m of clear space all round is our rough starting point, not a safe distance from a house, wall or pipe; ask your local forest or horticulture office if space is tight.

Whether any part of teak is poisonous to eat is not well documented, so do not eat it and keep children and pets from chewing it. Its sawdust is a known skin irritant: in a 1962 Norwegian furniture-factory study, about half of the workers heavily exposed to teak dust had eczema or severe itching. Wear gloves and a dust mask when sawing or sanding, and see a doctor or vet if anyone swallows part of the plant and feels unwell.