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Teak
सागौन (sagaun)
A dominant timber tree of dry deciduous forest, with leaves the size of dinner plates that turn the forest floor into a crackling carpet in the dry months.
👀 How to recognise it
Enormous rough leaves in opposite pairs, a straight pale trunk, and in the monsoon loose sprays of small white flowers at the very top of the crown.
Where to see it
Goa
Teak built the ships of the Indian Ocean trade and the woodwork of Kerala and Konkan houses; crushed young leaves give a blood-red dye.
Chorla Ghat · Dudhsagar Falls · Budbudyanchi Tali (Bubbling Lake), Netravali
Mysore
Teak is the dominant timber tree of the dry deciduous forest around Bandipur, and its timber is what made these forests economically valuable long before they were protected for wildlife. Crushed young teak leaves give a deep red juice.
Bandipur Tiger Reserve
Pune
Teak built the ships of the Indian Ocean trade, and crushed young leaves give a blood-red dye.
Tamhini Ghat Waterfalls · Mulshi Lake · Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park (Katraj Zoo)