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Names: |
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| Family | Theaceae. |
| Genus & Species | Camellia sinensis |
| AKA | Thea sinensis. Camellia bohea. Camellia thea. Thea bohea. Thea sinensis. |
| Common Name | Tea |
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| Size/Shape | Small tree to 16 m tall, pruned back to shrubs in cultivation. Strong taproot giving rise to a surface mat of feeders. Usually trimmed to below six ft. in height. 4-6 ft. Rounded. It has a strong taproot. 2 - 5 feet in height. Grows to 2-4' in container. |
| Leaves | Alternate, up to 30 (usually 4-15) cm long, 2-5 (7-12) cm broad. 2 - 4 1/2" long. The young, light green leaves have short white hairs on the underside. Older leaves are darker green. Glossy dark green elliptic leaves. |
| Flowers | 1-3, in axillary or subterminal cymes, deflexed, 2-5 cm broad, white or pinkish. Flowers are solitary in the axils of the leaves. The flowers are white to 1 ½ inches in diameter. The flowers are yellow-white, 2.5–4 cm in diameter, with 7 to 8 petals. Largely hidden by foliage. The flowers are very attractive to insects, particularly moths. Nodding cup shaped flowers. The seven or eight petals are white. |
| Blooming Season | Fall. October. March to May. Winter and spring. |
| Fragrance | Aromatic. Fragrant. A delightful scent. Scented. Deliciously scented. |
| Use | Beverage. Your plant should be around 3 years old before you start harvesting leaves. Generally a worker only plucks the terminal two leaves, because these have the best flavor. Steam, then dry the leaves for green tea. Wood is very good for walking sticks. |
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| Propagation | Either from seeds or by vegetative means. At first, seedlings should be shaded. Tea flowers are largely, if not completely, self-sterile and require cross-pollination by insects to produce seed. Soak seed in warm water for 24 hours before sowing. Hardwood cuttings should be taken from winter to summer, treated with rooting hormone and with bottom heat of 72 degrees recommended. Rooting is slow. It usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 23°c. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them in light shade for at least their first winter. Tea plants are propagated by rooting semiripe cuttings, and by budding, grafting, and air layering. Sow anytime. |
| Soil | Tolerates low pH, peat. Thrives on tropical red earths and deep, well-drained, acid (pH 4.5-6.0) soils. They prefer a well drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil rich in organic matter (2 parts peat moss or compost to 2 parts loam to 1 part sand or perlite). Repot every 2-4 years in late winter or early spring. Prefers an acid soil rich in organic matter. Adaptable to soil type. Likes well-drained and sandy soil that is on the acidic side. If you are going to grow your tea in a container, add some sphagnum moss to the potting mix. Rich, acidic soil. The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soil. Add leafmould. |
| Water | Tolerates drought. Dry to wet. Humid. The root hairs are very fine, so the plant can not be allowed to dry out completely. Increase watering when the plant is actively growing and when the plant is in bloom. Does not grow well in excessive water. Is tolerant of drought. It requires moist soil. It prefers a wet summer and a dry winter. Tea plants need plenty of moisture. They do best in rather humid climates. |
| Food | Fertilize every 2-3 weeks in the spring through fall, use a fertilizer for acid loving plants diluted to ½ the strength. |
| Pruning | Small tree to 16 m tall, pruned back to shrubs in cultivation. Pruning back to 4 ft can inhibit flowering. |
| Light | Tolerates shade. At first, seedlings should be shaded. Interplantings with shade trees is no longer recommended. Full sun to part shade. Light shade. Full sun to shade. Good plant for shady spots. Semi-shade. Dappled shade. Light shade for at least their first winter. Seedlings and young tea plants should be shaded; mature plants produce best in full sun. Full or partial sun. |
| Climate | Native to Southeast Asia, from Sri Lanka and India to Assam and China. Tropical and subtropical areas. Should not fall below 13°C, nor maximum go above 30°C. Zones 7-9. Zones 7b-11. Hardy at least to 20° F (-6° C). Is tolerant of heat. Likes a cool winter. Once it buds, it requires cool winter night temperatures, below 55°, to bloom. |
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| Source to Buy | Logee's plant. Richters seeds and plant (as Tea). Chilterns seeds. Banana Tree seeds. |
| http://tinyurl.com/c37u3 | |
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