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Theaceae
Tea Plant
Camellia sinensis
Quiet wisdom, ceremony, and clear mind.
- Family
- Theaceae
- Genus
- Camellia
- Native to
- southwest China, northern Myanmar
- Bloom season
- Fall
- Type
- evergreen shrub or small tree
- Height
- 1–10 m (pruned to 1 m on plantations)
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- acidic, well-drained, deep
- Water
- medium to high
- Hardiness
- 7–9
- Lifespan
- long-lived; some cultivated trees over 1,000 years old
Did you know
- Every cup of black, green, white, oolong, pu-erh, and yellow tea comes from the leaves of this single species.
- The oldest known cultivated tea tree, in Yunnan, is estimated at 3,200 years old and still produces leaves.
- Its small white flowers with golden stamens look exactly like miniature single camellias.
- Tea was first drunk medicinally in China around 2,700 BCE, becoming a daily beverage during the Tang dynasty.
- The two main cultivated varieties — sinensis (China) and assamica (India) — produce noticeably different teas.
Color meanings
White
purity, simplicity, mindful living