Sapindaceae

Native: Tropics of southern Asiatic and Malayasia, especially abundant in the mixed forests of India, Burma, Thailand, and Malaya.

Systematic Position           

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Streptophyta

Order: Lamiales

Family: Lamiaceae

Common Names

English – Teak

Malayalam – തേക്ക്

Description: Largw deciduous tree grows up to 50 m in height. Younger parts densely pubescent with stellate hairs. Leaves simple, opposite, broadly elliptic, 25-50cm long, 20-40cm wide, shining-green above, paler and tomentose beneath. Inflorescence terminal dichasial cymes usually about 30-40cm long. Flowers are about 6mm across, white, rarely pinkish. Fruit a drupe that are subglobose to tetragonally flattened, with about1.5 cm in diameter, tomentose.

Distribution:  Cultivated in several tropical countries.

Uses: Wood is dense and durable, used in making quality furniture. Used as laxative, sedative, in treatment of piles, dysentery, leukoderma, anti-inflammatory, in bronchitis, urinary and liver related troubles, as hair promoter and useful in scabies.