Chaay / Tea Plant
Camellia sinensis
Also known as Common Tea
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Camellia sinensis
- Genus
- Camellia
- Family
- Theaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Raised in plantations
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Distribution
- India, Southeast Asia, China, Indo-China
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- EN
Leaf characters
- Leaf margin
- ToothedrecordedA saw-like or jagged edge (serrate or dentate).“The leaf tip has a wide angle and the edges are serrate to serrulate, having asymmetrical teeth that point forwards to very fine serrations.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chaay itself; the rest are typical of the Theaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded“The flowers are white, 2.5 to 3.5 cm (1 to 1.5 in) across with six to eight petals.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit type
- CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“The fruit is a capsule with globe shape, usually flattened at the ends and measuring 1–1.5 cm top to bottom and 1.5-3.5 cm in diameter.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chaay itself; the rest are typical of the Theaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- चाय Chaay, cha,चाय chay
- Nepali
- चिया Chiyaa, चिया, चीयाको बोट
- Bengali
- চা Cha, ক্যামেলিয়া সাইনেনসিস, ক্যামেলিয়া সিনেনসিস
- Tamil
- தேய் Tey, தேயிலை
- Telugu
- Teyaku, తేయాకు
- Kannada
- ತೇ Tea, ಚಹ Chaha, ಚಹಾ Chahaa
- Malayalam
- Tey, തേയില, Camellia sinensis
- Marathi
- चहा Chahaa
- Assamese
- চাহ
- Sinhala
- තේ
Chaay in India
The tea plant, known as चाय Chaay (Hindi), தேய் Tey (Tamil), Teyaku (Telugu), ತೇ Tea (Kannada), Tey (Malayalam), चहा Chahaa (Marathi), is the source of Assam and Darjeeling tea, among India's best-known agricultural exports. Camellia sinensis is grown across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, mostly on hill slopes with reliable rainfall.
Uses
Young leaves and leaf buds are plucked and processed (withered, rolled, oxidised and dried) into the black, green or oolong tea drunk daily across the country; different oxidation levels give the different tea types from the same leaf.
How to Identify Chaay
An evergreen shrub, kept low and bushy by regular plucking on estates but capable of growing into a small tree if left unpruned. Leaves are glossy, dark green, finely toothed and leathery. Flowers are white with a prominent cluster of yellow stamens, fragrant, appearing singly or in small groups.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Tea plant called in different Indian languages?
- चाय Chaay (Hindi); தேய் Tey (Tamil); Teyaku (Telugu); ತೇ Tea (Kannada); Tey (Malayalam); चहा Chahaa (Marathi); চা Cha (Bengali).
- Do green tea and black tea come from the same plant?
- Yes — both (and oolong) come from Camellia sinensis; the difference is how much the picked leaf is oxidised before drying, not a different plant.
- Why is Darjeeling tea considered special?
- Its distinct flavour comes from the specific high-altitude growing conditions and cultivar selections used there, similar to how terroir shapes wine.
Theaceae
Tea Family
Chaay belongs to the Theaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Theaceae family →Snap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Theaceae
View all Theaceae →Sources: GBIF — Camellia sinensis (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Camellia sinensis (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)