Camellia sinensis

The tea plant is an evergreen plant or small tree that is a member of the Camellia genus of the tea or Theaceae family.

The leaves of Camellia sinensis are used throughout the world to produce various kinds of tea from the 2 major varieties grown:

• C. sinensis var. sinensis for Japanese and Chinese teas.
• C. sinensis var. assamica for Indian Assam teas and Chinese black tea.
• The Chinese plant (C. sinensis var. sinensis) is native to southeast China. Records show it being used to produce tea three thousand years ago.
• It is a small-leafed bush with multiple stems that reaches a height of some 3 meters, although it is often pruned in long rows to enable easy harvesting of the leaves often several times each year (for new spring leaves, fall leaves).
• It yields some of the most popular teas such as Japanese green tea, Darjeeling tea from India and Chinese oolong tea.