Camellia sinensis Camellia sinensis Camellia sinensis is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. It is of the genus "Camellia" () of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. Common names include "tea plant", "tea shrub", and "tea tree" (not to be confused with "Melaleuca alternifolia", the source of tea tree oil, or "Leptospermum scoparium", the New Zealand Tea Tree). "Camellia sinensis" var. "sinensis" and "Camellia sinensis" var. "assamica", are two major varieties grown today. White tea, yellow tea, green tea, oolong, dark tea (which includes pu-erh tea) and black tea are
Argentine tea culture Argentine tea culture Argentine tea culture is influenced by local and imported varieties and customs. The country is a major producer of tea ("Camellia sinensis"), but is best known for the cultivation and consumption of mate, made with the leaves of the local yerba mate plant. When Jesuit missionaries first came to Argentina, they tried to ban the popular indigenous tea, "yerba maté", out of concern about its addictive qualities. They ultimately reversed their stance and began cultivating "yerba maté" on plantations in the Misiones province in particular (and elsewhere in South America), until the expulsion of the religious order