Making room for tea flowers

Whenever I mention the tea flower, I am almost always met with momentary surprise—does a tea plant actually produce flowers?

- Aravinda Anantharaman

Given that the tea plant is part of the Camellia genus known for its ornamental plants, it ought not to be a surprise. In Japan and China, camellias were cultivated for gardens but the tea flower (Camellia sinensis or Camellia assamica) has never come into focus. No photos of manicured tea bushes include this rather striking cream and gold flower.

Ask planters and they will tell you that tea flowers are not desirable in a commercial tea estate. Left alone, the tea plant will grow and flower—part of its natural reproductive process. But in the industry, heavy flowering indicates that the tea bushes have not been plucked or put through regular pruning, or that it’s a stress response to drought or some nutrient deficiency.