The Tea Plant - Camellia sinensis

The tea plant, or Camellia sinensis, belongs to the Camellia genus and can be divided into two main varieties: the smaller-leafed China variety and the larger-leafed Assam variety. Botanists consider the home of Camellia sinensis to be Xishuangbanna in southern China's Yunnan province. The climatic conditions in Yunnan are ideal for the tea plant, which requires consistent warmth and moisture. From this region the plant has spread along the rivers to other parts of China as well as across the border to Assam in India.

The tea plant can grow up to 10 - 15 meters tall in natural conditions, but in tea plantations the plants are pruned to give them a more bush-like shape and to prevent them from growing taller than about one meter, which makes harvesting easier.

In addition to China, tea is also grown in other parts of the world. In Asia, it is grown in Sri Lanka, India, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. In Africa, tea plantations are found in Cameroon, Mauritius, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. In South America, growing tea is popular in Argentina, Brazil and Peru. Some varieties are also grown in Georgia, Turkey and Iran. The majority (260) of the over 400 varieties derived from the tea plant can still be found growing in the plant's original home of Yunnan.