350 DR. SEEMANN'S SYNOPSIS OF THE 



I agree with Clioisy, that there is only one species of the plant yielding the tea of com- 

 merce, for which I adopt the name of Thea Chinensis given to it by Linnaeus in the first 

 edition of his ' Species Plantarmn,' and afterwards sanctioned by Sims and others as a 

 collectiye one for Thea Bohea, viridis and Assamica. The propriety of taking the name 

 ''Chinensis'^ may be open to discussion, since we have no wild specimens of Tea from 

 China, but only from Upper Assam, and a Chinese tradition of great antiquity states 

 that the Tea-plant was introduced from India by the Buddist priests, so that it is possible 

 that we may term a species " Chinese " that is in reality " East-Indian" in its origin, and 

 thus furnish another instance of " lucus a non lucendo." Dr. Hooker, to whom I com- 

 municated these doubts, thinks that the plant may yet be found wild in North-western 

 Cliina, and his intimate knowledge of the Flora of India renders that opinion of the 

 utmost value. 



Respecting the varieties of Thea Chinensis, I think that they are supposed to be much 

 more marked than they really are. There is indeed a vast difference between the narrow- 

 leaved forms of what is called Thea Bohea in our gardens, and the broad-leaved specimens 

 of the wild Tea of Assam (figured in our Plate LXI.) ; but the transition from Thea Bohea 

 to Thea viridis, and thence to Thea Assamica, is so gradual, that it is almost impossible to 

 draw up any precise definition of these three great varieties. Besides, it must not be sup- 

 posed that when we have furnished characters for these three principal varieties, our 

 labours have terminated. As in aU cultivated plants, there are minor varieties, and forms 

 of the highest agricultural and commercial value, that claim our attention, and for the 

 working up of which but limited materials are at present at hand. The belief so long 

 entertained that Thea Bohea yielded the black, Thea viridis the green tea of commerce, has 

 long been exploded ; but a shght doubt seems stiU to linger in some quarters whether the 

 fact that Thea Bohea suffers less from frost, and begins to put forth its young leaves later 

 than Tliea viridis, does not prove a specific difference between them. The reply to this 

 is, that Thea viridis of the gardens does certainly begin to grow earlier than Thea Bohea, 

 and therefore is apt to suffer more from night frost than Thea Bohea ; but it does not 

 follow that it must on that account be specifically distinct, as, according to the same rule, 

 we should have to make species of all the early and late sorts of our kitchen vegetables 

 and of our fruit-trees *. 



Species exclusce : 



Thea Assamica, af&n. Chois. = Pyrenaria attentiata, 



Seem. 

 Thea Camellia, Hoffmsg. = CameWio Japonica, 



Linn. 



Thea imperialis, llort. = Micromeria obovata, Bth. 

 Thea longifolia, ^ois.= Camellia Sasanqua,Thunh. 

 Thea oleosa, Lour.= Camellia Sasangua, Thunh. 

 Thea Sasanqua, Nois. = Camellia Sasangua, Thunb. 



* For an interesting paper on the tea of commerce, by Charles Wach, see Ed. Otto's ' Hamburger Gartenzeitung,' 

 xiv. p. 451 (1858). 



