UBC Department of Asian Studies in Buddhist tradition. The design (courtesy of Asian Studies MA student in Japanese Literature and Visual Culture and graphic designer Julien Butterlin) does indeed gesture in this direction, but the flower depicted is in fact that of Camellia sinensis or Thea sinensis, the tea plant whence many teas are derived. A genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae, Camellia sinensis is used to harvest white tea, green tea, oolong, pu-erh tea and black tea. Tea is the second-most widely consumed beverage in the world after water, and has played and continues to play such a central role in all
Camellia sinensis Robert Sweet shifted all formerly "Thea" species to the genus "Camellia" in 1818. The name "sinensis" means "from China" in Latin. Four varieties of "Camellia sinensis" are recognized. Of these, "C. sinensis" var. "sinensis" and "C. sinensis" var. "assamica" (JW Masters) Kitamura are most commonly used for tea, and "C. sinensis" var. "pubilimba" Hung T. Chang and "C. sinensis" var. "dehungensis" (Hung T. Chang & BH Chen) TL Ming are sometimes used locally. There are hundreds, if not thousands of cultivars of "C. sinensis." Some Japanese cultivars include: "Camellia sinensis" is native to East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast