The Tea Plant
Tea plant is an ever-green tree from the Camellia family. Botanists have identified so far three varieties:
- Camelia Sinensis (the small-leaved Chinese variety)
- Camelia Assamica (the large-leaved Assam plant)
- Camelia from Camboya (Indo-Chinese variety)
Tea is cultivated only between parallels 42 North and 29 South, in humid and warm areas.
Camelia Sinensis
It can reach, as a wild plant, between 2,5 and 4,5 m high. It is resistible to cold temperatures. It produces leaves of 5 to 6 cm during 100 years.
Camelia Assamica
This tea plant can be considered a tree, since its height can reach even up to 13-19 meters. Its leaves can get a size of 35 cm. It is cultivated in tropical climates and it’s proven to live up to 40 years.
Camelia from Camboya
It is used mainly in the production of hybrids and can reach 4,5 meters of height.
Characteristcs of the plant
Coriaceous leaves with dark, green and shiny tones.
Flowers are white and delicate, with 5 to 7 petals, similar to jasmine.
It grows best in warm and humid areas (10º a 30º centigrade - 2000 a 2250 mm of annual rainfall).
The crops are concentrated between 300 and 2000 meters above sea level.
Thanks to the combination of height and humidity its growth progresses slowly and assures the best quality.
Final quality depends, above all, on the following factors: climate, soil, processes etc.
