The tea plant ( Camellia sinensis ) is an evergreen plant whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. The cultivated tea plant is typically maintained as a low, mounded shrub that is regularly pruned to promote the growth of new leaves. Its fragrant white flowers have yellow centers and are approximately 4 cm (1.6 inches) wide. There are three main varieties of tea plants: China, Assam and Cambodia. The China variety is a hardy, multi-stemmed bush, while the Assam variety grows as a single-stem tree.

Where is the tea plant commonly grown?

The tea plant ( Camellia sinensis ) thrives in the fan-shaped area from Nagaland, Manipur, and the Assam-Myanmar frontier to China's Zhejiang province, extending south through Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. While most tea cultivation occurs within this native range, significant production also takes place in parts of Africa, such as Kenya, and in South America. Other locations where tea is grown include the uplands of India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia; China, Taiwan and Japan; and non-Asian countries such as Natal, Malawi, Uganda, Congo, Tanzania, and Mozambique in Africa, to Argentina, Brazil, and Peru in South America, and to Queensland in Australia. Ideal conditions for tea plants include a minimum annual rainfall of 1,140 to 1,270 mm, acidic soils with a pH of 5.8 to 5.4 or less, and an appropriate climate.

What do the leaves of the tea plant look like?

The tea plant, Camellia sinensis , has two main varieties: the small-leaved China plant ( C. sinensis variety sinensis ) and the large-leaved Assam plant ( C. sinensis variety assamica ). The mature leaves range in size from 3.8 to 25 cm (1.5 to 10 inches), with the China variety having the smallest leaves. Tea leaves can be serrated, bullate (blistered), or smooth, and may be stiff or flabby. The leaves can be erect or pendant, and the amount of pubescence (leaf hairs) varies. The shoot that is removed during harvesting usually includes the bud and the two youngest leaves.

How are tea leaves harvested from the tea plant?

Tea leaves are harvested from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis , through a process called plucking, where the shoot, including the bud and the two youngest leaves, are removed. Hand plucking is often used for harvesting premium spring tea leaves and on steeply planted estates, while mechanical plucking is generally less selective and reserved for later harvests on farms that can afford such mechanization and that have suitable terrain. The cultivated tea plant is pruned to encourage the growth of young leaves.

What types of tea can be made from the tea plant?

True teas, including black , green , white , and oolong teas, all come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis . The variety of tea is determined by factors such as oxidation and processing.

How does the processing of tea leaves affect the flavor and type of tea produced?

The processing of tea leaves significantly impacts the flavor and type of tea produced. Tea leaves go through stages such as withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying, all of which contribute to the unique qualities of the final product. Only black tea undergoes all stages of the manufacturing process, while variations in the fermentation stage are how green tea and oolong teas acquire their unique qualities. During rolling, the leaf cells burst, which mixes enzymes with polyphenols. This kickstarts a series of chemical reactions during the fermentation stage, which is actually oxidation. Polyphenol oxidase transforms some polyphenols into theaflavins, which then form thearubigins, impacting the tea's color, strength, and taste. Finally, drying the leaves stops the process of oxidation by use of heat, which caramelizes the sugars and adds flavor.

Tea plant

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Close-up of vibrant green leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, growing densely together.

Neatly planted rows of green tea bushes stretch across rolling fields with Mount Fuji, capped with snow, rising in the background in Japan.

A farmer wearing a hat and camouflage shirt sprays pesticides among neatly trimmed rows of tea plants on a terraced hillside, with yellow buildings in the background.

Three Vietnamese women wearing conical hats pick tea leaves among green tea bushes on terraced hillsides in Lam Dong province, Vietnam, with trees and fields in the background.

Darjeeling, West Bengal, India: picking tea leaves

Quick Facts

Related Topics:: tea; Camellia; Cambodian tea plant; Assam tea plant; China tea plant

On the Web:: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Processing, chemical signature and food industry applications of Camellia sinensis teas: An overview (Oct. 28, 2026)

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Tea plant

plant

Also known as: Camellia sinensis, Thea sinensis

Written by

Campbell Ronald Harler

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 4, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is a tea plant?
The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) is an evergreen plant whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. The cultivated tea plant is typically maintained as a low, mounded shrub that is regularly pruned to promote the growth of new leaves. Its fragrant white flowers have yellow centers and are approximately 4 cm (1.6 inches) wide.

There are three main varieties of tea plants: China, Assam and Cambodia. The China variety is a hardy, multi-stemmed bush, while the Assam variety grows as a single-stem tree.
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1. tea plant: Pests and diseases
2. Camellia
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Where is the tea plant commonly grown?
The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) thrives in the fan-shaped area from Nagaland, Manipur, and the Assam-Myanmar frontier to China's Zhejiang province, extending south through Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. While most tea cultivation occurs within this native range, significant production also takes place in parts of Africa, such as Kenya, and in South America.

Other locations where tea is grown include the uplands of India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia; China, Taiwan and Japan; and non-Asian countries such as Natal, Malawi, Uganda, Congo, Tanzania, and Mozambique in Africa, to Argentina, Brazil, and Peru in South America, and to Queensland in Australia.

Ideal conditions for tea plants include a minimum annual rainfall of 1,140 to 1,270 mm, acidic soils with a pH of 5.8 to 5.4 or less, and an appropriate climate.
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What do the leaves of the tea plant look like?
The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, has two main varieties: the small-leaved China plant (C. sinensis variety sinensis) and the large-leaved Assam plant (C. sinensis variety assamica).

The mature leaves range in size from 3.8 to 25 cm (1.5 to 10 inches), with the China variety having the smallest leaves. Tea leaves can be serrated, bullate (blistered), or smooth, and may be stiff or flabby. The leaves can be erect or pendant, and the amount of pubescence (leaf hairs) varies. The shoot that is removed during harvesting usually includes the bud and the two youngest leaves.
2 Britannica Sources
1. tea plant: Physical description and varieties
2. tea
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How are tea leaves harvested from the tea plant?
Tea leaves are harvested from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, through a process called plucking, where the shoot, including the bud and the two youngest leaves, are removed.

Hand plucking is often used for harvesting premium spring tea leaves and on steeply planted estates, while mechanical plucking is generally less selective and reserved for later harvests on farms that can afford such mechanization and that have suitable terrain. The cultivated tea plant is pruned to encourage the growth of young leaves.
2 Britannica Sources
1. tea plant: Cultivation
2. tea
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What types of tea can be made from the tea plant?
True teas, including black, green, white, and oolong teas, all come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. The variety of tea is determined by factors such as oxidation and processing.
- Green tea In the preparation of green tea, oxidation is prevented by steam-blasting or roasting the freshly picked leaves.
- Black tea Black tea is allowed to fully oxidize.
- Oolong tea Oolong tea is made from partially oxidized leaves, placing it between black and green teas.
- White tea White tea is produced using buds and immature leaves that undergo very little oxidation.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How does the processing of tea leaves affect the flavor and type of tea produced?
The processing of tea leaves significantly impacts the flavor and type of tea produced. Tea leaves go through stages such as withering, rolling, fermentation, and drying, all of which contribute to the unique qualities of the final product.

Only black tea undergoes all stages of the manufacturing process, while variations in the fermentation stage are how green tea and oolong teas acquire their unique qualities. During rolling, the leaf cells burst, which mixes enzymes with polyphenols. This kickstarts a series of chemical reactions during the fermentation stage, which is actually oxidation. Polyphenol oxidase transforms some polyphenols into theaflavins, which then form thearubigins, impacting the tea's color, strength, and taste. Finally, drying the leaves stops the process of oxidation by use of heat, which caramelizes the sugars and adds flavor.
1 Britannica Source
1. tea: Oolong tea
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Tea plant, (Camellia sinensis), evergreen flowering plant valued for its young leaves and leaf buds, from which the tea beverage is produced. Two principal varieties are used commercially, the small-leaved China plant (Camellia sinensis, variety sinensis) and the large-leaved Assam plant (C. sinensis, variety assamica). Hybrids of these two varieties are also grown. For information on the processing of tea and the history of its use, see tea.

The natural habitat of the tea plant is considered to be within the fan-shaped area between Nagaland, Manipur, and the Assam-Myanmar frontier in the west through to China, probably as far as Zhejiang province, in the east and from this line south through the hills of Myanmar and Thailand into Vietnam. The three main varieties of the tea plant—China, Assam, and Cambodia (C. sinensis, variety cambodiensis)—each occur in their most distinct form at the extremes of the fan-shaped area. Most of the world’s tea is cultivated within the plant’s native range, though significant production does occur in parts of Africa—namely, Kenya—and in South America.

Physical description and varieties

The cultivated tea plant is usually kept as a low mounded shrub and is pruned back frequently to encourage the development of young leaves. The fragrant white flowers have yellow centers and are about 4 cm (1.6 inches) wide. The mature leaves of the tea plant, differing in form according to variety, range from 3.8 to 25 cm (1.5 to 10 inches) in length, the smallest being those of the China variety. Tea leaves may be serrated, bullate (having a blistered appearance), or smooth and may be stiff or flabby. The leaf pose ranges from erect to pendant, and the degree of pubescence (leaf hairs) varies widely from plant to plant. In harvesting, or plucking, the shoot removed usually includes the bud and the two youngest leaves.

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperm
Order: Ericales
Family: Theaceae
Genus: Camellia

The China variety is a multistemmed bush that grows as high as 2.75 meters (9 feet). A hardy plant able to withstand cold winters, it has an economic life of at least 100 years. When grown at an altitude near that of Darjeeling, India (elevation 2,100 meters [7,000 feet]), and in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), it produces teas with valuable flavor during the season’s second flush, or growth of new shoots.

The Assam variety grows as a single-stem tree, ranging from 6 to 18 meters (20 to 60 feet) in height. The plant has an economic life of 40 years with regular pruning and plucking. There are five main subvarieties: the tender light-leaved Assam, the less tender dark-leaved Assam, the hardy Manipuri and Burma types, and the very large-leaved Lushai. The dark-leaved Assam plant, when its leaves are highly pubescent, produces very fine quality “golden tip” teas during its second flush. (The Chinese word pekho [pekoe], meaning “white hair” or “down,” refers to the “tip” in tea, which is correlated with quality.)

A third variety, the Cambodia variety, is not widely cultivated. It forms a single-stem tree growing to about 5 meters (16 feet) in height.

Cultivation

Scientific study of tea production began about 1890. Most tea-producing countries maintain scientific research stations to study every aspect of the subject, including seed production, clonal selection (for the propagation of single leaf cuttings), tea nursery management, transplanting, development of the bush and subsequent pruning and plucking, soil management and fertilizer use, and the ultimate replanting of the stand. Although procedures in all countries are related, appropriate details must be determined for each area. Since 1900, advancements in tea cultivation have dramatically increased the average yield per hectare. In the late 20th century, international demand for organic tea increased, prompting the return of many traditional tea farming methods supplemented with scientifically informed integrated pest management and soil management techniques.

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Three major considerations in planning a tea estate are climate, soil acidity, and labor availability.

A suitable climate has a minimum annual rainfall of 1,140 to 1,270 mm (45 to 50 inches), with proper distribution throughout the growing season. If there is a cool season, with average temperatures 11 °C (20 °F) or more below those of the warm season, the growth rate will decrease and a dormant period will follow, even when the cool season is the wetter one.

Soils must be acidic, as tea plants cannot be grown in alkaline soils. A desirable pH value is 5.8 to 5.4 or less.

A conventionally grown crop of 1,650 kg per hectare (3,640 pounds per acre) generally requires 3.7 to 4.9 workers per hectare (1.5 to 2 workers per acre) to pluck the tea shoots and perform other fieldwork. Hand plucking is often used for premium spring tea leaves and on steeply planted estates. Mechanical plucking is generally less selective and is frequently reserved for later harvests on the farms that can afford such mechanization and that have suitable terrain. Organically grown tea is more labor-intensive, though the harvest itself generally requires the same workforce as conventional fields.

Pests and diseases

The tea plant is subject to attack from at least 150 insect species and 380 fungal diseases, several of which can cause heavy crop losses. These problems are particularly acute in the plant’s native range. In northeastern India, for example, some 125 pests and 190 pathogenic fungi have been detected, and more than 100 pests and 40 plant diseases occur in the tea fields of Japan. Sri Lanka, where estates are close together or contiguous, has recorded many blights and suffered serious losses. African estates generally have little trouble with blights; the tea mosquito (Helopeltis theivora) is the only serious pest. The Caucasus, with a climate similar to that of Japan, grows the China variety of plant and has no serious pests or blights. Pests and diseases are typically controlled with pesticides. Some of these pesticides cannot be applied during the plucking season; others require that the two subsequent rounds of weekly pluckings be discarded.

Campbell Ronald Harler The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Tea plant

Physical description and varieties

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Cultivation

Pests and diseases