Camellia assamica

''Camellia sinensis'' is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves and leaf buds are used to produce the popular beverage, tea. Common names include tea plant, tea shrub, and tea tree (not to be confused with ''Melaleuca alternifolia'', the source of tea tree oil, or the genus ''Leptospermum'' commonly called tea tree).

White tea, yellow tea, green tea, oolong, dark tea (which includes pu-erh tea) and black tea are all harvested from one of two major varieties grown today, ''C. sinensis'' var. ''sinensis'' and ''C. s.'' var. ''assamica'', but are processed differently to attain varying levels of oxidation with black tea being the most oxidized and green being the least. Kukicha (twig tea) is also harvested from ''C. sinensis'', but uses twigs and stems rather than leaves.

Nomenclature and taxonomy

The generic name ''Camellia'' is taken from the Latinized name of Rev. Georg Kamel, SJ (1661–1706), a Moravian-born Jesuit lay brother, pharmacist, and missionary to the Philippines.

Carl Linnaeus chose his name in 1753 for the genus to honor Kamel's contributions to botany (although Kamel did not discover or name this plant, or any ''Camellia'', and Linnaeus did not consider this plant a ''Camellia'' but a ''Thea'').

Robert Sweet shifted all formerly ''Thea'' species to the genus ''Camellia'' in 1818. The name ''sinensis'' means "from China" in Latin.

Four varieties of ''C. sinensis'' are recognized. Of these, ''C. sinensis'' var. ''sinensis'' and ''C. s.'' var. ''assamica'' (JW Masters) Kitamura are most commonly used for tea, and ''C. s.'' var. ''pubilimba'' Hung T. Chang and ''C. s.'' var. ''dehungensis'' (Hung T. Chang & BH Chen) TL Ming are sometimes used locally. The Cambodia type tea (''C. assamica'' subsp. ''lasiocaly'') was originally considered a type of assam tea. However, later genetic work showed that it is a hybrid between Chinese small leaf tea and assam type tea.

Tea plants are native to East Asia, and probably originated in the borderlands of north Burma and southwestern China.
* Chinese (small leaf) tea 'C. sinensis'' var. ''sinensis''* Chinese Western Yunnan Assam (large leaf) tea 'C. sinensis'' var. ''assamica''* Indian Assam (large leaf) tea 'C. sinensis'' var. ''assamica''* Chinese Southern Yunnan Assam (large leaf) tea 'C. sinensis'' var. ''assamica''
Chinese (small leaf) tea may have originated in southern China possibly with hybridization of unknown wild tea relatives. However, since no wild populations of this tea are known, the precise location of its origin is speculative.

Given their genetic differences forming distinct clades, Chinese Assam type tea (''C. s.'' var. ''assamica'') may have two different parentages – one being found in southern Yunnan (Xishuangbanna, Pu'er City) and the other in western Yunnan (Lincang, Baoshan). Many types of Southern Yunnan Assam tea have been hybridized with the closely related species ''Camellia taliensis.'' Unlike Southern Yunnan Assam tea, Western Yunnan Assam tea shares many genetic similarities with Indian Assam type tea (also ''C. s.'' var. ''assamica''). Thus, Western Yunnan Assam tea and Indian Assam tea both may have originated from the same parent plant in the area where southwestern China, Indo-Burma, and Tibet meet. However, as the Indian Assam tea shares no haplotypes with Western Yunnan Assam tea, Indian Assam tea is likely to have originated from an independent domestication. Some Indian Assam tea appears to have hybridized with the species ''Camellia pubicosta.''

Assuming a generation of 12 years, Chinese small leaf tea is estimated to have diverged from Assam tea around 22,000 years ago, while Chinese Assam tea and Indian Assam tea diverged 2,800 years ago. This divergence tea would correspond to the last glacial maximum.

Chinese small leaf type tea was introduced into India in 1836 by the British and some Indian Assam type tea (e.g. Darjeeling tea) appear to be genetic hybrids of Chinese small leaf type tea, native Indian Assam, and possibly also closely related wild tea species.

Cultivars

Hundreds, if not thousands of cultivars of ''C. sinensis'' are known. Some Japanese cultivars include:
* Benifuuki
* Fushun
* Kanayamidori
* Meiryoku
* Saemidori
* Okumidori
* Yabukita

Description

''Camellia sinensis'' is native to East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and