A relative to the common garden variety Camellia, the top few leaves (and sometimes bud) of only this plant (some hybrids do exist) are what "tea" is comprised of. If it doesn't originate from this plant- it is not "tea". Allowed to grow on its own accord , the tea plant ,a member of the evergreen family ,will reach heights of 60 feet. As a tea bush it is usually kept pruned to heights of no more than 3-5 feet. This one plant produces black , green, and oolong teas. Processing the leaf is what makes different tea varieties.

a tropical evergreen shrub or small tree extensively cultivated in e.g. China and Japan and India; source of tea leaves; "tea has fragrant white flowers"

Botanical name given to the tea bush.

Scientific name of the evergreen shrub that is the actual tea plant. All varieties of tea are derived from this plant.

The Tea Plant. The differences between the over three thousand types of tea result from variations in the processing of the leaves after they are harvested. Tea is an evergreen shrub which grows in tropical or sub-tropical climates. See Green Tea, Black Tea, Oolong and White Tea. Assam is actually Camellia Assamus.

Botanical name for the tea plant.

Camellia sinensis is the tea plant, the plant species whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. White tea, green tea, oolong and black tea are all harvested from this species, but are processed differently to attain different levels of oxidation.