Large Leaf Tea Camellia
camellia sinensis

days to maturity:
plant spacing: 1 plant per 12 feet
sunlight requirements: 8-14 hours
look out for: mealybugs
harvest notes: 
perennial

Camellia tea is a cool plant to grow in your home garden if you are interested in trying your hand at making green, white or black leaf tea, or if you just want access to the fresh leaves. This evergreen shrub can grow to be the size of a small rangy tree however because you'll want access to the new growth leaves you may want to consider pruning it and keeping it low and accessible. Camellia is native to East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia, but it is today cultivated across the world in tropical and subtropical regions. Tea plants prefer a rich and moist growing location in full to part sun. Its leaves contain caffeine and different ages leaves produce differing tea qualities, since their chemical compositions are different.