CAMELLIA SINENSIS: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, PROPERTIES, CULTIVATION - BIOLOGY - 2025

Camellia sinensis is a species of shrubby plant from whose leaves and tender shoots the famous green tea is made. Known as white tea, green tea, or black tea, they all come from the same species that belongs to the Theaceae family.

It is a low-growing, highly branched and evergreen shrub that can reach up to 10 meters in height. It reproduces by seeds or vegetative cuttings, and for its development it requires warm, humid climates and acidic, fertile and permeable soils.

Green tea (Camellia sinensis). Source: Prenn

Native to China and India, its cultivation has spread throughout Asia, including Ceylon, Indonesia, Java, and Japan. At present it is distributed in many tropical and subtropical regions around the world.

The degree of fermentation of the Camellia sinensis leaves determines the type of tea that is obtained from the various varieties. White tea is obtained from young leaves, green tea goes through different handling and drying processes, while black tea undergoes a complete fermentation.

The tea plant is credited with multiple healing, medicinal, and therapeutic benefits. Among them it stands out its ability to improve the symptoms of asthma, asthenia, bronchitis, cellulitis, diarrhea, hyperlipidemia, insomnia and cardiovascular disorders.

General characteristics

Appearance

A short shrub or small tree with widely branched evergreen foliage, in wild conditions it reaches 10-12 m in height. In commercial plantations, the tree is pruned continuously, limiting its growth to 1-1.5 m altitude.

Leaves

The entire leaves are oval-oblong in shape, bright green, glabrous and 5-10 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. It has a short petiole, the central vein is evident and it has glandular teeth in the apical two thirds.

flowers

The small whitish flowers are located in the axillary position and are arranged solitary or in groups of three. They are formed by 5 sepals that cover 6-8 yellowish-white petals, measure 2-4 cm in diameter and contain numerous yellow stamens.

Camellia sinensis flowers. Source: pixabay.com

Fruit

The fruit is a triloculated or spheroidal capsule, slightly flattened, not very pubescent or glabrescent. Inside it develop 1-2 spherical seeds of a dark brown color, rich in essential oils from which "camellia oil" is obtained.

Chemical composition

In chemical analysis of the Camellia sinensis species, the presence of various active principles identified as xanthic bases and polyphenols has been determined. Of the xanthic bases, adenine, caffeine, theobromine, theophylline and xanthine stand out; of polyphenols, phenolic acids, catechins, flavonoids and catechic tannins.

Fresh tea leaves are rich in catechins or polyphenols from the flavonol group, such as epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, and epicatechin-gallate. Catechins are oxidized organic compounds that polymerize in black tea.

Kempferol, myricetin, and quercetin are the main flavonoids present in Camellia sinensis. Chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and gallic acid are the main phenolic acids.

On the other hand, cathekic tannins are located in the free state or in combination with xanthic bases. Furthermore, B vitamins, mineral salts and certain free amino acids such as theanine or the 5-N-ethyl-glutamine analog of glutamic acid are common.

Taxonomy

- Kingdom: Plantae

- Division: Magnoliophyta

- Class: Magnoliopsida

- Order: Ericales

- Family: Theaceae

- Tribe: Theeae

- Genus: Camellia

- Species: Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze, 1887.

Camellia sinensis fruits. Source: Reji Jacob at Malayalam Wikipedia

Subspecies

- Camellia sinensis subsp. buisanensis (Sasaki) SY Lu & YP Yang.

- Camellia sinensis subsp. sinensis Hassler M. (2018).

Etymology

- Camellia: the name of the genus was given in honor of Jiří Josef Camel, called «Camellus». 17th century Jesuit missionary and botanist who introduced camellia plants from the Philippines to Europe.

- sinensis: the specific adjective is related to the place of origin of the species, "sinensis" in Latin means "China".

Synonymy

- Camellia bohea (L.) Sweet.

- Camellia chinensis (Sims) Kuntze.

- Camellia thea Link.

- Camellia theifera var. macrophylla (Siebold ex Miq.) Matsum.

- Camellia viridis Link.

- Thea latifolia Lodd. ex Sweet.

- Thea longifolia Nois. ex Steud.

- T. sasangua Nois. ex Cels.

- T. stricta Hayne.

- Thea viridis L.

- Theaphylla anamensis Raf.

- Theaphylla laxa Raf.

- T. oleifera Raf.

- T. viridis Raf.

Young shoots of Camellia sinensis. Source: Salicyna

Varieties

- Camellia sinensis var. assamica (JW Master) Kitamura.

- Camellia sinensis var. dehungensis (HT Chang & BH Chen) TL Ming.

- Camellia sinensis var. pubilimba Hung T. Chang.

- Camellia sinensis var. waldenae (SY Hu) HT Chang.

Classification

Chinese tea

Chinese tea comes from the Camellia sinensis sinensis variety native to China, being fast-growing plants grown in cool environments at higher altitudes. It is grown in mountain areas, slopes and slopes and is used to obtain green tea and white tea with a mild and sweet taste.

Indian tea

Indian tea comes from the Camellia sinensis assamica variety native to the Assam region of northern India. It grows in areas with a tropical, hot and rainy climate, they are larger plants that are used to obtain black, oolong and pu-erh tea.

Java bush

This variety known as Camellia sinensis cambodiensis is not used for the production of commercial tea, but to obtain new varieties through crossing. They are very resistant plants with high adaptability to various environments, which are used as a pattern to obtain varieties of different flavors.

Camellia sinensis seeds. Source: Muséum de Toulouse

Habitat and distribution

The Camellia sinensis species known for centuries is native to southern China and Southeast Asia. Its consumption and tradition was introduced in Japan in the 6th century BC. C., while in Europe it was carried by Marco Polo in the middle of the 13th century.

In the year 1600, the East India Company began marketing worldwide, introducing its consumption in America. During the 19th century, large plantations were established in Africa, while in South America production began at the beginning of the 20th century, with Argentina being the largest producer.

Today tea is grown globally, both in tropical and subtropical environments. Its reproduction is carried out by means of seeds or cuttings, in warm and humid climates, on acidic, fertile and well-drained soils.

Reproduction

The propagation of the Camellia sinensis species is carried out both by seeds and vegetatively, which allows obtaining specimens similar to the mother plant. The multiplication by seed requires fresh material and by cutting the application of phytohormones that favor rooting.

Reproduction by cuttings

Cuttings are selected from 3-4 year old adult plants, without any symptoms of damage caused by pests or diseases. The technique consists of cutting pieces of vigorous branches or cuttings with 2-3 lateral shoots and 20-25 cm in length.

Under nursery conditions, the cuttings are soaked in phytohormones and placed in plastic bags with a fertile substrate until they root. This is the most widely used method for commercial propagation of tea plants due to its high productivity.

Reproduction by seeds

The seeds used to propagate tea plants must come from quality, high-yielding crops. Although the seeds do not require a pre-germination process, prior to sowing they must be soaked for 24 hours with warm water.

Usually, if the proper conditions of temperature, humidity and solar radiation are maintained, germination begins after 2-3 months. Once the seedlings present 2-3 true leaves, transplanting into pots is recommended.

When the plants reach a height of 30-35 cm they are ready for transplantation in the field. It is recommended to apply a planting density of 1-1.5 m between plants and 50-60 cm between rows. In commercial crops, frequent pruning facilitates the harvesting process.

Camellia sinensis leaves. Source: Fagus

Properties

The tea made with the leaves of the Camellia sinensis species is an antioxidant infusion, with a high content of caffeine, catechins and polyphenols. Its usual intake favors the treatment against different disorders, due to its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and diuretic effects.

Mind

It has the ability to improve mental alertness, increase concentration and eliminate disorders related to insomnia. In fact, its consumption is indicated for night work hours or during exam periods.

Similarly, its composition contains caffeine, an alkaloid that stimulates the nervous system and the ability to react to any eventuality. The «matcha» tea marketed in powder form is a concentrated product with a greater stimulating capacity. It differs from coffee in that its caffeine is slowly absorbed by the body.

Body

Its high content of antioxidant compounds stimulates the circulatory system. In addition, it prevents the appearance of disorders related to cancer and provides a good dose of vitamins.

White tea has a high percentage of polyphenols, hence its greater antioxidant capacity. This type of tea is known as the "elixir of youth" as it promotes the accumulation of collagen and elastin in the body.

The flavonoids present in different types of tea are natural anti-inflammatories. It is also indicated to prevent various cardiovascular diseases due to its high content of antioxidants.

It is a diuretic and controls appetite, recommended to be taken between meals, reduces triglyceride levels and bad cholesterol. Due to these properties it is a perfect ally for weight loss regimes and reduction of accumulated body fat.

On the other hand, it contains catechin, a polyphenolic antioxidant that strengthens the immune system, regulates cholesterol, fights cancer and prevents arthritis. In addition, it is an important source of mineral elements, such as calcium, fluorine, iron and magnesium.

Indications

The consumption of green tea is recommended in cases of asthma, asthenia, bronchitis, diarrhea and hyperlipemia and also acts as an adjuvant to control overweight. Topically, as a gel or cream, it is indicated to avoid the presence of local adiposities such as cellulite.

Contraindications

The regular intake of green tea is contraindicated in people allergic to caffeine and other xanthines, pregnant women, lactating women or children under 12 years of age. Likewise, in patients with insomnia, epileptics, gastrointestinal ulcers or cardiovascular disorders such as arrhythmias and heart or coronary insufficiencies and the presence of gastrointestinal ulcers.

Camellia sinensis green tea. Source: pixabay.com

Culture

The Camellia sinensis species is grown primarily in tropical and subtropical climates in regions with a minimum annual rainfall of 1,200 mm. However, there are clonal varieties that are grown in temperate regions, resistant to drought and freezing climates.

The higher quality varieties are grown in mountain areas and slopes, usually up to 1,500-2,000 meters above sea level. Slow-growing plants make it possible to obtain more aromatic and pleasant-tasting tea leaves.

Usually the tea plant has a medium size, but commercially they are pruned to 1-1.5 m in height to facilitate their harvest. The main commercial varieties are Chinese small leaf tea (Camellia sinensis sinensis) and Indian large leaf tea (Camellia sinensis assamica).

Requirements

For the cultivation of Camellia sinensis, a warm, humid environment with a good irrigation disposition is required. The tea plant adapts to dry climates and requires partial shading, with an arrangement of 4-5 hours of solar radiation per day.

Very rainy, cold and cloudy climates are adverse to it. In fact, it does not support cold and wet winters, with occasional frosts below 10ºC.

It grows on soils with a clay-sandy texture, of volcanic origin, loose, permeable, with a slightly acidic pH (4.5-7.3) and rich in organic matter. When watering it is important to avoid flooding the ground, since the roots are very sensitive and rot very easily.

Camellia sinensis culture. Source: KENPEI

Care

Pruning

Tea plants in the wild can reach up to 10 m in height, and 15 m in the case of the Camellia sinensis var. assamica. Pruning is carried out in order to favor the development of the plant and to produce abundant vigorous shoots.

Formation and maintenance pruning begins when the plant reaches 1-1.5 m in height, preventing the plant from growing above this limit. The objective of this practice is to facilitate the work of managing the plantation and the harvest that is traditionally carried out manually.

The first pruning is done after three years, and thereafter every year until the plantation is productive. Maintenance pruning allows the plant to look like a garden shrub, hence tea crops are called "tea gardens" or tea gardens.

Harvest

There are several techniques for harvesting tea leaves, the most common being the plucking harvest. The technique is to collect only the tender light green shoots on adult plants 3-4 years and older.

In some cases the flowers are collected that can be used to make infusions with particular properties. This is because Camellia sinensis flowers have antioxidant properties, being used against the symptoms of aging in the body.

The densely hairy terminal shoots are known as "pekoe" and are highly prized at harvest for their pleasant aroma and flavor. The adult, smooth-looking, dark green leaves are not harvested due to their bitter taste.

Each bud of a tea plant contains 3 to 5 leaves, each one produces a tea with particular characteristics. The youngest top shoot is called "flowery orange pekoe" and produces the most refined tea, the other shoots are known as "orange pekoe", "pekoe souchong", "pekoe" and "souchong".

In Asian countries the harvest is carried out exclusively by women, who collect the tea in the traditional way. Each woman collects between 20-30 kg of tea per day, and for every 10 kg about 2.5 kg of dry tea is obtained for infusions.

References

1. Camellia sinensis. (2019). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Recovered at: es.wikipedia.org
2. Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze (2019) Catalog of Life: 2019 Annual Checklist. Recovered at: catalogueoflife.org
3. Camellia sinensis (2018) Teapedia - The Tea Encyclopedia. Recovered at: teapedia.org
4. Traditional cultivation of Tea (2019) Botanical Online. Recovered at: botanical-online.com
5. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. (1997). Descriptors for tea (Camellia sinensis). Bioversity International. ISBN: 92-9043-343-4.
6. López Luengo, MT (2002). Green tea. Offarm: pharmacy and society, 21 (5), 129-133.
7. Palacio Sánchez, E., Ribero Vargas, ME, & Restrepo Gutiérrez, JC (2013). Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) Liver Toxicity: Topic Review. Colombian Journal of Gastroenterology, 28 (1), 46-52.
8. Prat Kricun, S. (2011). Catechin content in Argentine tea cultivars (Camellia sinensis), made as Sencha green tea. ESTUARY. Revista de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, 37 (3), 249-255.