NAT. ORDER. THEACEiE. 89 



All the various kinds of Tea which are imported into this 

 country, should come under the denomination of Bohea and 

 Green, as it is now generally supposed by learned botanists that 

 they are produced from the same species of the plant. Linnaeus, 

 however, has described them as specially different, founding the 

 distinction in the number of their petals. Others have also ob- 

 served, that the leaves of the Tea-plants differ considerably, both 

 in form and color ; and this difference we have ourselves frequently 

 noticed in the plant, which is occasionally found in flower gardens 

 of this country ; but whether these which the gardeners cultivate, 

 and sell by the name of Bohea and Green Tea-plants, are to be re- 

 garded as permanent varieties, or distinct species, we have not the 

 means to decide. De Loureiro has described three species of 

 Thea, viz. : Thea cochinchinensis, Thea cantonensis, and Thea ole- 

 osa. The first is a native of Cochin China, where it is cultivated, 

 and used medicinally in hot weather, as a sudoi-ific and refrigerant. 

 The TJiea oleosa grows wild in the neighborhood of Canton, where 

 an oil obtained from its seeds is used for various domestic purposes. 

 The Thea cantonensis, which Loureiro carefully examined in its 

 native soil, was found to bear a close resemblance to another var- 

 iety, called Siao cJiong cha, and by us Souchong. Both these are 

 brown, but more fragrant and valuable than the common green 

 Tea, which grows in the province of Fo Men. Notwithstanding 

 that this author has described the three species of Thea above 

 mentioned, he says, that on examining the di-ied flowers of the 

 green Tea, brought from the province of Klang si, he observed a 

 great diversity in the number of the parts of the calyx and co- 

 rolla : hence, he concludes that all the various Chinese Teas are 

 taken from the same botanical species, and that the different flavor 

 and appearance of Teas depend upon the nature of the soil, the 

 culture, and method of preparing the leaves. 



The opinion, which is founded on the sportive tendency of 

 the flowers of the Tea-plant, clearly shows the fallacy of distin- 



