tea plant

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• chai
• tea
• Japanese tea
• black tea
• common tea
• green tea
• teabush
• teaplant

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Thea sinensis

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Ericales, it is a member of the family Theaceae and is classified under the genus Camellia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse geographical distribution across several key regions in Africa and the Indian Ocean. In West Tropical Africa, it can be found within the borders of Guinea. Its range extends to West-Central Tropical Africa, specifically around the Gulf of Guinea Islands. Moving toward the northeast, the species is also located in Ethiopia. Finally, it inhabits parts of the Western Indian Ocean, including the islands of Mauritius and Réunion.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Camellia sinensis is characterized by its preference for mountainous tropical and subtropical environments, where it is widely cultivated. This species thrives within a specific altitudinal gradient, typically found at elevations ranging from a minimum of 100 m AMSL to a maximum of 1750 m AMSL. These mountainous habitats provide the necessary environmental conditions conducive to its growth and development within its cultivated range.

Elevational range max:

1750 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

100 m AMSL

Habitat :

cultivated in mountainous tropics and subtropics

Life history

The life history of Camellia sinensis is characterized by its nature as a perennial species, allowing it to persist and produce biomass over many successive growing seasons. As a phanerophyte, the plant maintains its photosynthetic organs on woody stems that elevate the foliage above the ground level, a trait further categorized by its specific classification as a phanerophyte in terms of its structural growth habit. Throughout its existence, it maintains an evergreen deciduousness, ensuring that its foliage remains functional and present year-round rather than shedding leaves seasonally.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Camellia sinensis is characterized by its woody nature and versatile growth forms, manifesting as both a shrub and a tree. As a self-supporting plant, it does not function as a climber or a vine, instead maintaining a sturdy, independent structure. It is a strictly terrestrial species, lacking any aquatic, semiaquatic, or epiphytic tendencies, and grows as an independent organism rather than a parasite. In terms of physical stature, the plant can reach a significant size, with a maximum plant height of 10 m and a mean height typically reaching around 10 m under optimal conditions.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

10 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Camellia sinensis is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its metabolic efficiency and carbon fixation processes. Morphologically, the plant produces leaves with an elliptic form and distinctive toothed margins, providing the structural framework necessary for efficient light interception and gas exchange. The foliage is smooth in terms of defensive structures, as it possesses no leaf thorns and no leaf spines. Furthermore, the plant does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it relies on the availability of nitrogen within the soil substrate to support its growth and the synthesis of secondary metabolites.

Leaf form :

elliptic

Leaf margin :

toothed

Leaf spines :

no

Leaf thorns :

no

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Camellia sinensis is characterized by a specific flowering period and a reliance on biotic agents for successful fertilization. The flowering cycle typically begins in August and concludes in September, although the timing can be variable. During this stage, the plant utilizes a biotic pollination syndrome, specifically relying on insects, with bees playing a prominent role in the pollination process. Notably, self-fertilization is absent in this species, necessitating these external pollinators to facilitate genetic exchange. Following successful pollination, the plant produces seeds that exhibit a range of masses; while the mean seed mass is approximately 1.5151125 g, individual seeds can vary significantly, with a minimum mass of 0.54945 g and a maximum mass reaching up to 2.041 g.

Flowering time :

Aug

Flowering time :

Sep

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

bee

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Seed mass max:

2.041 g

Seed mass mean:

1.5151125 g

Seed mass min:

0.54945 g

Self fertilization :

absent

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Camellia sinensis has 5 reported plant parts identified across 37 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, flower, root, seed, stem.

Leaf

1. Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin
2. Appetite
3. Nichidai koku kagaku = Nihon University journal of oral science
4. Yakushigaku zasshi
5. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Flower

1. Yakugaku zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
2. Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin
3. Frontiers in genetics
4. Lasers in medical science

Root

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. BioMed research international
3. Lasers in medical science

Seed

1. Journal of natural products
2. Lasers in medical science

Stem

1. Frontiers in genetics
2. BioMed research international

Chemicals

Camellia sinensis has 654 reported phytochemicals identified across 37 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include catechins, Epigallocatechin gallate, Flavonoids, caffeine, Epigallocatechin-3-gallate.

catechins

1. Pharmacognosy magazine
2. Recent patents on food, nutrition & agriculture
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
5. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Epigallocatechin gallate

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
3. Mutation research
4. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
5. Food science & nutrition

Flavonoids

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology
3. Journal of ethnopharmacology
4. American journal of clinical dermatology
5. Andrologia

caffeine

1. Dr. Duke
2. International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity
3. Molecular plant
4. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
5. Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate

1. Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry
2. Life sciences
3. Viruses
4. Pharmacological reports : PR
5. Acta pharmacologica Sinica

polyphenols

1. Dr. Duke
2. Pharmacognosy magazine
3. Current pharmaceutical design
4. Life sciences
5. Acta scientiarum polonorum. Technologia alimentaria

EGCG

1. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
2. Frontiers in nutrition
3. Acta pharmacologica Sinica
4. Toxicology and applied pharmacology
5. Vascular pharmacology

CATECHIN

1. Journal of global antimicrobial resistance
2. Yakugaku zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
3. Journal of the science of food and agriculture
4. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
5. Journal of the American Nutrition Association

Epicatechin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of the American Nutrition Association
3. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
4. 3 Biotech
5. Fish & shellfish immunology

Epicatechin gallate

1. Dr. Duke
2. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
3. Journal of mass spectrometry : JMS
4. Frontiers in nutrition
5. PloS one

Activities

Camellia sinensis has 878 reported activities identified across 37 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antimicrobial, Anticancer, Antidiabetic.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Recent patents on food, nutrition & agriculture
3. Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology
4. Anti-cancer agents in medicinal chemistry
5. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Viruses
3. Recent advances in anti-infective drug discovery
4. Current pharmaceutical biotechnology
5. Narra J

Antimicrobial

1. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
2. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences
3. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR
4. Recent advances in anti-infective drug discovery
5. Frontiers in nutrition

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Food science & nutrition
3. Planta medica
4. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)
5. Recent advances in anti-infective drug discovery

Antidiabetic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Current pharmaceutical design
3. Yakugaku zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
4. Frontiers in pharmacology
5. Frontiers in nutrition

Antihypertensive

1. Dr. Duke
2. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
3. Journal of the science of food and agriculture
4. International journal of molecular sciences

Antiinflammatory

1. Dr. Duke
2. Current pharmaceutical biotechnology
3. Phytotherapy research : PTR
4. Pharmacological research

Antiviral

1. Dr. Duke
2. Viruses
3. Fish & shellfish immunology
4. Recent advances in anti-infective drug discovery

Hypoglycemic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.)
3. International journal of biological macromolecules
4. Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology

Neuroprotective

1. Dr. Duke
2. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
3. Journal of dietary supplements
4. Current neuropharmacology

Conditions

Camellia sinensis has 202 reported investigations on conditions identified across 37 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include cancer, obesity, breast cancer, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation.

Cancer

1. Food science & nutrition
2. Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin
3. Life sciences
4. Cardiovascular & hematological agents in medicinal chemistry
5. Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology

Obesity

1. Current research in food science
2. Saudi journal of medicine & medical sciences
3. International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity
4. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
5. Journal of food biochemistry

Breast cancer

1. Food science & nutrition
2. Pharmacological reports : PR
3. Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology
4. Integrative cancer therapies
5. Current medicinal chemistry

Cardiovascular diseases

1. Life sciences
2. Journal of the American Nutrition Association
3. International immunopharmacology
4. Advances in experimental medicine and biology
5. Current pharmaceutical design

Inflammation

1. Nutrients
2. Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Current drug discovery technologies
4. Food chemistry
5. Scientific reports

Oxidative stress

1. Food & nutrition research
2. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association
3. Current drug discovery technologies
4. Scientific reports
5. Food science and biotechnology

Diabetes mellitus

1. Free radical biology & medicine
2. Saudi journal of biological sciences
3. Frontiers in pharmacology
4. Recent patents on food, nutrition & agriculture
5. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition

Hypertension

1. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
2. Scientific reports
3. Frontiers in pharmacology
4. Turk Kardiyoloji Dernegi arsivi : Turk Kardiyoloji Derneginin yayin organidir
5. Natural products and bioprospecting

Atherosclerosis

1. Current pharmaceutical design
2. Journal of food science
3. Recent patents on cardiovascular drug discovery
4. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)
5. Recent patents on food, nutrition & agriculture

Insulin resistance

1. Current pharmaceutical design
2. Biomolecular concepts
3. Acta pharmacologica Sinica
4. Food chemistry
5. International journal of molecular sciences

Preparations

Camellia sinensis has 77 reported preparations identified across 37 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include green tea, Tea, tea, black tea, Green tea.

Green tea

1. Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology
2. Journal of food biochemistry
3. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
4. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
5. Current neuropharmacology

Tea

1. Plant methods
2. Journal of the American Nutrition Association
3. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Frontiers in pharmacology

Tea

1. Appetite
2. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
3. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
4. Food chemistry
5. Annual review of nutrition

Black tea

1. Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
4. Alternative medicine review : a journal of clinical therapeutic

Green tea

1. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
3. The Medical journal of Malaysia

Leaves

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Current pharmaceutical design
3. Journal of basic microbiology

Ethanolic extracts

1. RSC advances
2. Letters in applied microbiology

Extracts

1. Pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences
2. Recent advances in drug delivery and formulation

Green tea extract

1. Recent patents on food, nutrition & agriculture
2. Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP

Infusion

1. Current drug metabolism
2. Phytotherapy research : PTR