THE TEA FAMILY 



17 



; 



extens>,ely grown on the slopes of the Himalayas, the Nilgiris, 



and in Ceylon. It has leathery, shining leaves of a dark-green 



colour with toothed edges 



which reflect the hot rays of 



the sun and thus keep the 



tree cool. It flowers all 



through the year and bears 



beautiful white flowers with 



five or more large petals and 



numerous yellow stamens, 



adhering partly to the base 



of the petals and partly to 



'jhe ovary (Plate No. 624, 



2.3). When ripe, the woody 



capsule opens in such a 



way (Plate No. 624, 7) that 



each of the three carpels 



snli^^ in the middle (loculi- 



cidal), thus letting the seeds 



escape. 



Xl-c^yarts from which the 

 beverage "tea" is made, are 

 the leaf-buds and the two or 



three young leaves next the buds. The volatile oil which is the 

 cause of the flavour of tea and an alkaloid, called "theine", 

 which has a soothing eftect on the nerves, are contained in the 

 leaf-buds more than in any other part of the plant. These 

 leaves are picked carefully from the shrubs, partly dried in the 

 sun or by machinery, rolled, and finally roasted to complete 

 the drying. Of these dried leaves an infusion is made with 

 boiling water, and this has the same flavour and odour as the 

 tea leaves themselves; if allowed to stand for a long time, the 

 infusion (tea) becomes spoiled, because a substance, called 

 ^annin, which is very astringent and is injurious to digestion, 

 is dissolved. Tea must, therefore, be drunk soon after the in- 

 fusion is made. 



Fig-. 14. — Flowering' branch of the 

 Tea-shrub (Camellia llieifera). 



