The Chinese Camellia

The Latin name for tea, Camellia Sinensis, literally means Chinese Camellia. A camellia is an ornamental Asian shrub with rose-like flowers. Like the ornamental camellia, tea plants are evergreens. Their leaves vary in shape and size: some are as large as hands while others are as small as needles. There are three kinds of tea plants, namely China, Assam, and Cambodia. The Cambodia plant is a single-stemmed tree that has been naturally interbred with other varieties. It can grow as tall as 16 feet (5 meters). Assam trees are also single- stemmed and grow between 20 and 60 feet (6 and 18 meters) high depending on the sub-variety. If regularly cut or plucked, its economic lifespan is about 40 years. The Chinese variety has multi-stemmed bushes and if left can grow as high as 9 feet (2.75 meters) tall. However, Chinese plants are only allowed to grow to half this height. This variety can withstand cold winters and produce good quality tea for at least 100 years.

Like any other plant, tea has roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit, and is dependent on sunlight, air, water, and soil. However, where a tea plant is cultivated is also important, as the same type of plant growing in different places produces different teas. This is because the tea plant adjusts itself to the local soil and climate, which in turn affects the flavor. China has several hundred types of tea plants although only a hundred of these are regularly consumed. No other country has this many varieties.

Sunshine, fertile soil, and a hot climate are not always the key to suc­cessful tea plants. Some varieties, such as the cold summit oolong tea and the large white tea of Fukien, prefer a cold, frozen climate, while others need only a little water or less fertile soil. There are also mountain teas that thrive at high altitudes and rocky teas that prefer the cracks of rocks and cliff faces. Tea plants should not be grown too close together as they get in each others way and compete for light and soil. Every year tea farmers cut the plants three times to remove branches and force the plant to grow horizontally. This encourages more branches and more leaves and allows the farmer to pick the plants more easily. However, it takes three years before a baby plant can be plucked.