Tea

General description

Camellia sinensis is native to East, South and Southeast Asia, but it is today cultivated across the world in tropical and subtropical regions.

Camellia Sinensis is an evergreen shrub or small tree that is usually trimmed to below 2 m (6.6 ft) when cultivated for its leaves. It has a strong taproot. The flowers are yellow-white, 2.5–4 cm (0.98–1.57 in) in diameter, with 7 to 8 petals.

Plant requirements

Camellia Sinensis is more of a tropical/Sub tropical plant, so it enjoys warm weather, but is tolerant of a light freeze, so long as it's not a prolonged freeze.

Maintenance

Water every few days. prune to either small tree or bush during late autumn or winter.

Practical use

White, Green, and Black Tea can all be made from this shrub, the White tea is harvested when the leaf buds sprout, but do not yet fully open. Green tea is harvested when the leaves are fully open, and still the new glossy green color. Black tea is is harvested when the leaves are older and mature. It is best to harvest one type of tea at a time, since you don't want to strip the plant of all of it's leaves and. Harvesting should occurr every two to three weeks during the growing season.