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Camellia sinensis assamica
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Camellia sinensis assamica

Camellia sinensis assamica

Edibility
5/5
Medicinal
4/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
GrowthSlow

Found from the warm temperate zone, through the subtropics and into the tropics of southern Asia, Camellia sinensis originated in an area of monsoon climates and mild winters. The plant has proved very amenable to cultivation and is now grown as far north as 42° North and south to Argentina at 27° South[1]. The var sinensis can tolerate winter temperatures falling occasionally as low as -5 to -10°c, and grows best in the warm temperate to subtropical zone, whilst var assamica is less cold tolerant and is found from the subtropics to tropical areas. Depending on latitude, the plant can be grown at elevations from sea level to 2,300 metres[1]. Whilst a minimum mean annual rainfall of 1,700mm is required for economic production[1], the plant is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation in the range of 700 - 3,500mm[2, 1]. Rainfall should not fall below 50mm per month for any prolonged period[1]. Generally, optimum temperatures for shoot growth are 18 - 30°c, the base temperature, below which shoot growth stops, is about 12.5°c[1]. Prefers a woodland soil but thrives in a warm open well-drained loam if leafmould is added[3, 4, 5]. A calcifuge plant, preferring a pH between 5 and 7[4, 5]. Prefers a pH of 4.5 - 5.6[1]. Prefers the partial shade of a light woodland or a woodland clearing[6, 5]. Tea is generally more productive without shade, but shade trees may be necessary to reduce air temperatures during hot periods, e.g. In Assam and Bangladesh. Shelter belts of trees planted between fields are beneficial in protecting tea against prevailing strong winds[1]. Plants develop a strong taproot and many lateral roots, giving rise to a dense mat of feeding roots in the top 50 - 75cm of the soil[1]. Some lateral roots grow 3 - 4 metres deep[1]. Camellia sinensis assamica is widely cultivated in tropical areas for its leaves which are used to make China tea[3]. The plant is also very ornamental and is sometimes grown in gardens for its flowers[3], Tea is usually distinguished by the Chinese people as small leaf tea (var sinensis) with a more northern distribution and large leaf tea (var assamica) with a more southern distribution. However, there are other varieties of Camellia sinensis and even some other species of Camellia that are used locally as tea[7]. Climatic conditions have a great influence on the quality of the tea, especially on the flavour. Fast shoot growth - for instance at low altitudes, during the best part of the growing season or shortly after the bushes have been pruned back - is detrimental to the quality of tea, particularly the flavour, but induces high production. Nevertheless, high yields and excellent quality tea can be obtained in tropical countries on fertile soils, especially at elevations of 1,200 - 1,800 metres above sea-level. At still higher elevations, the tea will have a well-developed flavour but it will lack strength and yields will be lower[1]. The distinction between green tea and black tea concerns the processing of the leaves whether they are just wilted before drying (green tea) or wilted and then fermented before drying (black tea)[7]. Flowering starts when tea plants are about 4 years old. In the tropics flowering in non-plucked tea occurs year-round[1]. The fragrant flowers are pollinated mainly by insects such as moths and bees[8, 1]. Only cross-pollination gives good fruit set and seed, especially in var. Assamica, which appears to have a system of self-incompatibility. Fruits take 10-12 months to mature; ripe fruits dehisce the seeds by splitting open from the apex into 3 valves[1]. The fragrant flowers are very attractive to insects, particularly moths[8]. Plants are not very self-compatible, self-fertilized flowers produce few seeds and these are of low viability[5]. Both wild and cultivated forms of tea plant (Camellia sinensis) are monoecious, insect-pollinated and self-incompatible[9].

Propagation

Seed - can be sown as soon as it is ripe[10]. Stored seed should be pre-soaked for 24 hours in warm water and the hard covering around the micropyle should be filed down to leave a thin covering[11, 10, 12]. It usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 23°c[12]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade. Plant them out into their permanent positions when they are more than 15cm tall. Seedlings take 4 - 12 years before they start to produce seed[2]. There are approximately 500 seeds per kilo[2]. Cuttings of almost ripe wood, 10 - 15cm with a heel, in a shaded frame. High percentage but slow[11]. Cuttings of firm wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, in a frame[4, 11]. Leaf-bud cuttings in a frame. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Camellia+sinensis+assamica>

Pollinators

Bees

References

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  2. [2]Handbook of Energy Crops — Duke. J. · - · 1983 · https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/dukeindex.html · ISBN - ↩︎Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
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  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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  9. [9]Genetic Divergence between Camellia sinensis and Its Wild Relatives Revealed via Genome-Wide SNPs from RAD Sequencin — Hua Yang; Chao-Ling Wei et al · 2016 · ISBN DOI:10.1371/journ ↩︎
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