Tea

Botany, morphology, physiology

Tea - Botany
Division Angiospermae

Class Dicotyledoneae

Order Parietales

Family Theaceae

Genus Camellia

Species sinensis
Tea
Scientific Name: Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze
Synonym: Thea sinensis, Camellia bohea, Camellia thea, Thea bohea, Thea sinensis
Family: Theaceae

Sun Exposure: Light shade

Origin: South-east Asia, China to India and Sri
Lanka
Growth Habits: Rounded evergreen shrub, up to
4.5 m tall, 4.5 m spread or more
Watering Needs: Keep the soil moist
Propagation: Seeds, hardwood cuttings
Two major tea variety

 Camellia sinensis var. sinensis

 Pertaining to Western Yunnan, China, Tibet and
Japan. 3 – 5 m tall, 5 cm leaves. Resistant to very
cold temperatures.
 Chinese tea
Two major tea strains
 Camellia sinensis var. assamica
 Pertaining to North East India. 14 - 18 m tall (More of a
tree than a bush.) 15 cm leaves.
 Prefers warmer climates.
 Assam tea, Indian tea

 There are numerous hybrids that originate from the

above two species, which have been developed to
suit different conditions.
 Tea plant
 The leaves of the tea plant provide
the tea of commerce.
 The terminal shoots with 2 or 3
leaves are collected, every week
or every other week.
 They can be heated immediately
to stop any fermentation, this
provides green tea
 or they can be rolled and
fermented for several hours before
being oven heated and dried, this
provides the black tea.
Tea flowers
 Cultural Practices:
The Tea bush prefers an acid
soil rich in organic matter.
 Flowers:
4 cm-wide fragrant white
flowers.
 They are generally self-sterile
and are pollinated by insects.
Tea – life span
 A tea bush may happily produce good tea for
50 – 70 years, but after 50 years the plants
yield will reduce.
 At this time the older bushes will be
considered for replacement by younger plants
grown on the estates nursery.
Maturity and harvests
 A tree plant matures in three to five years and
produces a flush, the growth of new shoots.
 Each shoot consists of few leaves and a bud
 At low altitude the growth of the tea bush is
so rapid in the growing seasons that they
need picking every few days to ensure that
only the best tips are plucked
 At higher altitudes it takes as long as two
weeks to grow a flush
Tea flush

Part being harvested

Tea - morphology
Environment for tea
 (i) Abundant and evenly distributed rainfall and
sunshine for commercial production.

 (ii) Deep, permeable, well-drained, fertile and

acidic soil.

 (iii) High altitudes. Tea grows best at altitudes

ranging from sea level to about 2000 metres
above.
 Tea does not survive in water-logged conditions
Planting materials
 Planting materials are of two kinds:
 (i) Seeds. It is the traditional source of
planting material. It takes about 4 to 15
years for a tea plant to produce seed.

 (ii) Cuttings. Cuttings are taken from

selected tea plants, which show excellent
characteristics to produce good tea.
Tea seeds

TEA SEED OIL Tea seeds are also used as a source

of supplementary protein and edible oil for human
consumption, apart from many other industrial
applications. The prospects of tea seed oil are
immense. It can be a substitute for any edible oil;
Cuttings
 Since the 1970's tea bushes have been
cultivated from cuttings
 Each of these are taken from only the
strongest, healthiest bushes and carefully
tended in special nursery beds until they are
12-15 months old and ready for planting in
the tea fields
Tea cuttings
 Cuttings are planted in plastic tubes in the
same way as seeds are planted.
 The tubes have the same soil type and also
the same mixture of fertilizer.
 By eighteen months the plants are ready for
planting in the field.
Preparation of cuttings
 Cut stems should be wrapped immediately
with damp sacking, carried to shaded area
and watered
 Single leaf cuttings are prepared by a sloping
cut above each bud.
 The cuttings are placed immediately in water
until it is planted in the nursery
Tea leaf cuttings in polybags
Tea Nursery
 The nursery should be shaded (33% sunlight
penetration) and the shade can be gradually
reduced
 Cuttings can be propagated in soil mixtures of
coarse sand and topsoil that allow easy
draining
 A moist environment using misting or
frequent watering will help rooting of cuttings
 Some rooting hormones such as triacontanol
can stimulate rooting
Tea seedlings nursey
Tea seedlings in field nursery
Bukit Cheeding Boh Tea
Tea nursery – Bukit Cheeding Boh
Tea Estate
During propagation, shade is needed

30-35% sunlight needed

After 6-8 mon. in nursery under the shade,
seedlings are exposed to full sunlight for hardening
Polybag medium

Preferred soil pH
4.5-5
Hardening of young seedlings