Camellia sinensis — the tea plant (茶樹, cháshù)
Camellia sinensis is an evergreen shrub or tree in the Theaceae family. It is the principal plant whose leaves and buds are processed into tea.
Green, white, yellow, oolong, black and dark tea differ mainly in processing, but their raw material is not identical. Cultivar, growing site, season and picking also shape the result. One cultivar can be processed in several ways.
Two commonly distinguished varieties are the smaller-leaved var. sinensis and larger-leaved var. assamica. These are not two fixed flavours or a rule that one makes green tea and the other black. Cultivars and hybrids complicate the picture. For example, Hong Yu, Taiwan Tea No. 18, was bred from Burmese large-leaf tea and a Taiwanese wild camellia.
A low bush may be the result of pruning for easier picking. A tall tree is not necessarily wild, and an old one has not necessarily grown without human care. Cultivar and batch origin are more useful buying information than an image of a “forest tree.”
Mint, hibiscus and rooibos are infusions of other plants. Calling them tea is common usage, but they are not Camellia sinensis. Check the ingredients of blends: they may contain both tea leaves and other ingredients.
Related teas
Chinese tea glossary