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
Camellia sinensis 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. sinensis sinensis") and the large-leaved Assamese plant ("C. sinensis assamica"), used mainly for black tea. The Chinese plant (sometimes called "C. sinensis" var. "sinensis") is a small-leafed bush with multiple stems that reaches a height of some 3 meters. It is native to southeast China. The first tea plant to be discovered, recorded and used to produce tea 3,000 years ago, it yields some of the most