Glossary · Botany
Camellia sinensis
The single plant species all true tea comes from. White, green, yellow, oolong, black, and pu-erh are all made from its leaves — the difference is entirely in processing, not the plant.
Worth knowing
Two main varieties are used commercially: sinensis (smaller leaf, cold-tolerant, common in China and Japan) and assamica (larger leaf, tropical, common in India and Yunnan).