Camellia sinensis

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Other common names

tea tree

Synonyms

Camellia thea
Camellia sinensis thea
Thea sinensis

Shrubs
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A slow-growing, tender, large, upright evergreen shrub, with dark-green, lance-shaped, toothed leaves. It has fragrant, white, single flowers with many golden-yellow stamens in autumn and winter. If you drink tea, black, or green, this is the plant it comes from. Commercially grown plants are pruned to a height of 1.2m, to facilitate picking

Position

Partial shade

Soil Types

Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

1.5-2.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
10–20 years
Max Spread
1.5-2.5 metres
Max Height
2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Neutral

Position

Partial shade
Aspect
North–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H4

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower
Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Theaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen
Habit
Bushy, Columnar upright
Genus
Camellia are evergreen shrubs with simple, ovate, glossy, leathery leaves and showy flowers with solitary or clustered flowers early in the year
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
China

How to Grow

Cultivation

Choose a shady, sheltered site with acid soil that is fertile, moist, but well-drained. Plant shallowly, and mulch with bark or leaf mould. Buds and flowers should be protected from cold dry winds. Don't allow to dry out. Fertilise mid-spring and early summer. See camellia cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed, soak seed prior to sowing, sow when ripe under glass. Can also be propogated via hardwood and semi-hardwood cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Architectural
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Low Maintenance
  • Flower borders and beds
  • Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 8. Requires little pruning. Removal of damaged, dead, or diseased branches is best done after flowering

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, scale insects and vine weevil

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), phytophthora root rot, camellia gall, camellia leaf blight, camellia yellow mottle virus and flowers and camellia petal blight