Camellia sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves, leaf buds, and stems are used to produce tea. Common names include tea plant, tea shrub, and tea tree (unrelated to Melaleuca alternifolia, the source of tea tree oil, or the genus Leptospermum commonly called tea tree).
White tea, yellow tea, green tea, oolong, dark tea (which includes pu-erh tea) and black tea are all made from two of the five varieties which form the main crops now grown, C. sinensis var. sinensis and C. s. var. assamica, but are processed differently to attain varying levels of oxidation with black tea being the most oxidized and white being the least. Kukicha (twig tea) is also made from C. sinensis, but uses twigs and stems rather than leaves.
Names
The name sinensis is a compound meaning "from China" in Botanical Latin. The two parts are sin from Latin meaning China and -ensis the suffix meaning place of origin.
The generic name Camellia is taken from the Latinized name of Rev. Georg Kamel, SJ (1661–1706), a Moravian-born Jesuit lay brother, pharmacist, and missionary to the Philippines.
Camellia sinensis is widely known by the common name tea tree, a name in use since 1760. However, it is also used to refer to shrubs or trees of the myrtle family from Australia and New Zealand, most frequently species in Leptospermum or Melaleuca the first usage dating to 1790. Tea trees are also variously called tea-bushes, tea-shrubs, and tea-plants.
Description
Camellia sinensis is a woody shrub or tree that is typically tall, but can be as tall as . It is usually trimmed to a height of about with a flat top when in commercial tea plantations. The bark on trunks is smooth and gray with a yellow or brown tone. Young branches are yellow with a gray cast to them while new twigs are red-purple with white hairs. In older trees the trunk reaches as much as 40 cm in diameter.
In seedlings the taproot is dominant, but in mature plants the distribution of roots depends upon individual plant characteristics and growing conditions. In areas with shallow soils or high water tables tea bushes will have a shallow, fibrous root system while in areas with deep soils root have been found at depths of 5.5 m. Tea bushes reach peak productivity at ages of 30 to 50 years, but can remain productive for over a century.
right|thumb|C. sinensis plant, with cross-section of the flower (lower left) and seeds (lower right)
The leaves are an attractive green and tend to be smaller on cultivated plants than wild ones, ranging in size from and a width of . Their shape is elliptic, oblong-elliptic, or oblong, and they have a leathery texture. The upper surface is shining dark green and hairless while the underside is pale green and can be hairless or pubescent, covered in plant hairs. The center vein is raised above the surface of the leaf on both sides as are the smaller seven to nine veins to each side. The netlike veins between are also visible. The leaf tip has a wide angle and the edges are serrate to serrulate, having asymmetrical teeth that point forwards to very fine serrations.
thumb|Flower of tea plant
thumb|Pollen grains of C. sinensis
The flowers are white, across with six to eight petals. They bud in the leaf and can be solitary or have up to three in a cluster. On the back of the flower there will be five sepals 3–5 mm long. One to three of the petals will be somewhat sepal-like and hidden behind the five visible at the front of the flower. The center of the flower is filled with numerous hairless stamens 8–13 mm long. They are arranged in as many as five concentric circles called whorls.
thumb|C. sinensis fruit and seeds
The fruit is a capsule with globe shape, usually flattened at the ends and measuring 1–1.5 cm top to bottom and 1.5-3.5 cm in diameter. Each fruit will have one to three round chambers with one or two seeds in each. The seeds are brown to almost black in color and are round, half-spheres, or have mulpile flat faces. They measure 1 to 2 cm and are hairless.
Taxonomy
Linnaeus did not consider this plant a Camellia but placed it in a separate genus Thea. Then in 1818, Robert Sweet merged the two genera, selecting Camellia for the merged genus, and shifted all the former Thea species to that genus.
Five varieties of Camellia sinensis are accepted:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Name !! Description !! Distribution
|-
|120px ||C. sinensis var. sinensis ||Style fused apically 3-lobed. Widely grown for tea.||China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang), Taiwan
|-
|120px ||C. sinensis var. assamica ||Lower surface of leaves are villous along midvein. Widely grown for tea.|| Bhutan, China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan), Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam
|-
| ||C. sinensis var. pubilimba || Sepals are white and pubescent. ||China (W. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, SE. Yunnan)
|-
| ||C. sinensis var. dehungensis ||Lower surface of leaf is appressed pubescent. ||China (S. Yunnan)
|-
| ||C. sinensis var. madoensis ||Style is free half to the base. ||Vietnam (Phu Yen)
|-
|}
Camellia sinensis has synonyms of the species or of four of its five varieties. This includes 45 species names.
{|class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="Synonyms"
|+ class="nowrap" | Table of Synonyms
! Name
! Year
! Rank
! Synonym of:
! Notes
|-
| Camellia angustifolia
| 1981
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. pubilimba
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia arborescens
| 1983
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. sinensis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia assamica
| 1945
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Camellia assamica var. kucha
| 1983
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia assamica subsp. lasiocalyx
| 1962
|data-sort-value=B | subspecies
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia assamica var. polyneura
| 1998
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia bohea
| 1818
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia dehungensis
| 1983
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. dehungensis
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Camellia dehungensis
| 1984
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. dehungensis
|data-sort-value=B | = het., nom. illeg.
|-
| Camellia dishiensis
| 1990
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. pubilimba
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia formosensis
| 2009
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia kucha
| 2008
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia longlingensis
| 1990
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia manglaensis
| 1983
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. dehungensis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia multisepala
| 1983
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia oleosa
| 1937
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Camellia parvisepala
| 1981
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. pubilimba
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia parvisepaloides
| 1983
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. dehungensis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia polyneura
| 1983
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia scottiana
| 1855
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het., not validly publ.
|-
| Camellia sinensis var. dulcamara
| 2020
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia sinensis f. formosensis
| 1950
|data-sort-value=F | form
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Camellia sinensis var. kucha
| 1984
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia sinensis var. lasiocalyx
| 2016
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia sinensis f. macrophylla
| 1950
|data-sort-value=F | form
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia sinensis f. parvifolia
| 1958
|data-sort-value=F | form
| D. viridis
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Camellia sinensis f. rosea
| 1950
|data-sort-value=F | form
| D. viridis
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Camellia sinensis f. ticinensis
| 2020
|data-sort-value=F | form
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het., cited basionym not validly publ.
|-
| Camellia sinensis var. waldenae
| 1981
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Camellia tenuistipa
| 2015
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia thea
| 1822
|data-sort-value=A | species
| C. sinensis
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom., nom. superfl.
|-
| Camellia thea var. assamica
| 1901
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Camellia thea var. bohea
| 1907
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| D. viridis
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Camellia thea var. lasiocalyx
| 1907
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia thea var. stricta
| 1907
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia thea f. ticinensis
| 1940
|data-sort-value=F | form
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het., nom. nud.
|-
| Camellia thea var. viridis
| 1907
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia theifera
| 1854
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia theifera var. assamica
| 1893
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Camellia theifera var. macrophylla
| 1883
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Camellia viridis
| 1818
|data-sort-value=A | species
| D. viridis
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Camellia waldenae
| 1977
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea assamica
| 1847
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Thea bohea
| 1762
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea bohea var. laxa
| 1789
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea bohea var. stricta
| 1789
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea cantoniensis
| 1790
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea chinensis
| 1807
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom., orth. var.
|-
| Thea cochinchinensis
| 1790
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea formosensis
| 1937
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea grandifolia
| 1796
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea latifolia
| 1839
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Thea laxa
| 1798
|data-sort-value=A | species
| D. viridis
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Thea longifolia
| 1821
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het., not validly publ.
|-
| Thea macrophylla
| 1918
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea olearia
| 1868
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea oleosa
| 1790
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea parvifolia
| 1796
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea sasanqua var. oleosa
| 1887
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea sinensis
| 1753
|data-sort-value=A | species
| C. sinensis
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. assamica
| 1887
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom., nom. illeg.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. assamica
| 1883
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. bohea
| 1853
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. cantoniensis
| 1887
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. diffusa
| 1835
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| D. viridis
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. macrophylla
| 1835
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. parvifolia
| 1867
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. pubescens
| 1887
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. rosea
| 1905
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. rugosa
| 1835
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. stricta
| 1835
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| D. viridis
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Thea sinensis var. viridis
| 1887
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea stricta
| 1821
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea viridis
| 1762
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea viridis var. assamica
| 1855
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
| Thea viridis var. bohea
| 1799
|data-sort-value=D | variety
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea viridis variegata
| 1861
|data-sort-value=J |
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Thea yersinii
| 1943
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. assamica
|data-sort-value=B | = het., without a Latin descr.
|-
| Theaphylla anamensis
| 1838
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Theaphylla cantoniensis
| 1838
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Theaphylla laxa
| 1838
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. viridis
|data-sort-value=B | = het.
|-
| Theaphylla viridis
| 1838
|data-sort-value=A | species
| var. virescens
|data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom.
|-
!colspan=5 style="text-align: left;" | Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym
|}
In 2017, Chinese scientists sequenced the genome of C. s. var. assamica. It contains about three billion base pairs, which was larger than most plants previously sequenced.
The Cambodia type tea ("C. assamica subsp. lasiocalyx") was originally considered a type of Assam tea. However, later genetic work showed that it is a hybrid between Chinese small leaf tea and Assam tea.
- Chinese (small leaf) tea [C. sinensis var. sinensis]
- Chinese Western Yunnan Assam (large leaf) tea [C. sinensis var. assamica]
- Indian Assam (large leaf) tea [C. sinensis var. assamica]
- Chinese Southern Yunnan Assam (large leaf) tea [C. sinensis var. assamica]
thumb|Tea seedling
Chinese (small leaf) tea may have originated in southern China possibly with hybridization of unknown wild tea relatives. However, since no wild populations of this tea are known, the precise location of its origin is speculative.
Assuming a generation of 12 years, Chinese small leaf tea is estimated to have diverged from Assam tea around 22,000 years ago; this divergence would correspond to the last glacial maximum,
Range and habitat
thumb|Native range of Camellia sinensis according to the borderlands theory
The origins of tea plants is obscured by its long history of cultivation. The natural range is unknown, though it is reasonably certain that the species comes from East Asia with the exact location being debated by experts. One theory is that the species originated in the borderlands of far eastern India, north Myanmar, and southwestern China. Alternatively, other experts point to an origin to the northeast in Yunnan province within China. In the Plants of the World Online database many more places are listed as part of the native range including not only southcentral and southwest China, Assam and the eastern Himalayas in India, and Myanmar, but also Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Cultivation
Camellia sinensis is mainly cultivated in tropical and subtropical climates, in areas with at least 127 cm (50 in) of rainfall a year. Tea plants prefer a rich and moist growing location in full to part sun, and can be grown in hardiness zones 7–9. However, the species is commercially cultivated from the equator to as far north as Scotland, with the northernmost tea plantation at 59°N latitude on Shapinsay in the Orkney Islands. Many high quality teas are grown at high elevations, up to , as the plants grow more slowly and acquire more flavour.
Tea plants will grow into a tree if left undisturbed, but cultivated plants are pruned to waist height for ease of plucking. Two principal varieties are used, the small-leaved Chinese variety plant (C. s. var. sinensis) and the large-leaved Assamese plant (C. s. var. assamica), used mainly for black tea. Tea trees can remain productive for many years.
Chinese teas
The Chinese plant is a small-leafed bush with multiple stems that reaches a height of some . It is native to southeast China. The first tea plant variety to be discovered, recorded, and used to produce tea dates back 3,000 years ago; it yields some of the most popular teas.
C. s. var. waldenae was considered a different species, C. waldenae by SY Hu, but it was later identified as a variety of C. sinensis. This variety is commonly called Waldenae Camellia; it is grown on Sunset Peak and Tai Mo Shan in Hong Kong, and also occurs in Guangxi province. has resulted in various types. Japanese cultivars include:
- Benifuuki
- Fushun
- Kanayamidori Black tea is rated by the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database of Natural Standard as likely effective for improving mental alertness, possibly effective for conditions like low blood pressure, heart attack risk, osteoporosis, ovarian cancer, and Parkinson's disease, possibly ineffective for various cancers and diabetes, and lacks sufficient evidence for other uses.
Biosynthesis of caffeine
Fresh leaves contain about 4% caffeine, as well as related compounds including theobromine. Caffeine functions as a secondary metabolite and acts as a natural pesticide: it can paralyze and kill herbivorous insects feeding on the plant. Caffeine is a purine alkaloid and its biosynthesis occurs in young tea leaves and is regulated by several enzymes. The biosynthetic pathway in C. sinensis is similar to other caffeine-producing plants such as coffee or guayusa. Analysis of the pathway was carried out by harvesting young leaves and using reverse transcription PCR to analyze the genes encoding the major enzymes involved in synthesizing caffeine. The gene TCS1 encodes caffeine synthase. Younger leaves feature high concentrations of TCS1 transcripts, allowing more caffeine to be synthesized during this time. Dephosphorylation of xanthosine-5'-monophosphate into xanthosine is the committed step for the xanthosines entering the beginning of the most common pathway. A sequence of reactions turns xanthosine (9β--ribofuranosylxanthine) into 7-methylxanthosine, then 7-methylxanthine, then theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine), and finally into caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine).
thumb|Biochemical pathway detailing caffeine synthesis in C. sinensis
Primary green tea catechins
<gallery>
File:(+)-Gallocatechin.svg|(–)-Epigallocatechin
File:Epigallocatechin gallate structure.svg|(–)-Epigallocatechin gallate
File:Epicatechin gallate.svg|(–)-Epicatechin gallate
File:(–)-Epicatechin.svg|(–)-Epicatechin
</gallery>
See also
- Chinese herbology
- Green tea extract
- International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants
- ISO 3103, a method of brewing tea according to the ISO
- Kaempferol, a flavanoid found in tea and associated with reduced risk of heart disease
- List of tea companies
- Tasseography, a method of divination by reading tea leaves.
- Tea classics
- Tea production in Sri Lanka
- Turkish tea
- Tea production in Kenya
- Tea leaf grading
- Camellia taliensis
References
Citations
Sources
;Books
;Journals
;Web sources
External links
- Camellia sinensis from Purdue University
- The International Camellia Society
- Science of Tea, Knowable magazine, April 8, 2026
- Plant Cultures: botany and history of the tea plant
- Jac.OxfordJournals.org, The effect of a component of tea (Camellia sinensis) on methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus.
- Suns.Ars-Grin.gov, List of Chemicals in Camellia sinensis (Dr. Duke's Databases)