• Division → Magnoliophyta
  • Class → Magnoliopsida
  • Subclass → Dilleniidae
  • Order → Theales
  • Family → Theaceae
  • Genus → Camellia
  • Species → Sinensis

Since we’ll solely be dealing with the varieties and cultivars of the genus Camellia and the species sinensis we’ll move over the higher diploma classifications and easily start with Camellia sinensis for the sake of simplicity all by the rest of this submit. When notating plant names, there is a commonplace nomenclature we’ll use outlined as follows:

Genus species var. choice ‘Cultivar’

Proper right here is an occasion notation using the above nomenclature for a popular Japanese cultivar known as Yabukita:

Camellia sinensis var. sinensis ‘Yabukita’

Breaking apart our sample notation, the genus is Camellia, the species is sinensis, the variability is sinensis, and the cultivar is Yabukita.

However, at events, the variability from which the cultivar received right here is simply not recognized, or is also a hybrid between plenty of varieties. On this case, the following notation might be acceptable:

Camellia sinensis ‘Yabukita’

Some confusion arises with the reality {that a} cultivar is solely a cultivated variety, that signifies that any person has acknowledged variations in a plant and has cultivated it to care for these variations. The plant continues to be a ramification, nonetheless because of we’re cultivating it, we title it a cultivar. Everyone knows that throughout the tea world, cultivars are created from considered one of many important varieties or hybrids between the first types of Camellia sinensis used for tea manufacturing: sinensis, assamica, and to a lesser extent, parvifolia. That’s the reason we sometimes see a ramification and a cultivar listed for tea crops — when a plant reveals variation inside a ramification, and is cultivated to care for this variation, we discover your self with every a ramification and a cultivar.

Merely put, varieties are found naturally on this planet, as quickly as we propagate them for his or her variance, they turn into cultivars.

The reality is, many commonplace tea sorts are actually processed cultivars with the similar title.

The phrase varietal is one which’s often misused throughout the tea world (and likewise throughout the wine world). It is often erroneously used interchangeably with the phrase choice or cultivar.

Proper right here’s the suitable dictionary definition tailor-made for the tea world, bear in mind that it’s an adjective:

Varietal (adj) – a varietal tea is one which was constituted of a single variety of Camellia sinensis.

Proper utilization: Tieguanyin is a varietal tea constituted of the ‘Tieguanyin’ cultivar of Camellia sinensis.

Incorrect utilization: Tieguanyin is constituted of the Tieguanyin varietal of Camellia sinensis.