TEA.

Botanical Origin.—The tea of commerce is derived from a plant named Thea sinensis, which is an evergreen, and closely allied to the well-known genus Camellia. In cultivation, the tea plant is generally found from 3 to 6 feet high, but if allowed to attain to its full growth it reaches to a height of between 30 and 40 feet, and possesses a stem more than 1 foot in diameter. It is a native of China, Japan, and the northern parts of Eastern India; but its cultivation has been successfully introduced into some parts of British India, and it has been grown with a fair amount of success in Ceylon, Brazil, and Carolina.

At one time it was thought that black and green teas were prepared from the leaves of two different plants, named respectively Thea bohea and Thea viridis; but it is now known that one plant, Thea sinensis, is the source of both kinds, and that black or green tea can be prepared at pleasure from the same leaves, the difference depending entirely upon the process followed in the manufacture.

Description. The tea of commerce consists of the prepared leaves of the tea plant, but in most samples there are present portions of the young branches and flower buds. The leaves are sometimes 2 inches long and 1 inch wide; usually, however, they are much smaller, though the full-grown leaf measures from 5 to 6 inches in length.

B