BOTANY:

Camellia sinensis [L.] O.Kuntze

In 1712, Kaempfer was the first western botanist to recognize tea, naming it Thea japonense.

50 years later Carl von Linne of Sweden-better known as Linnaeus-published his "Species Plantarum". In these volumes he named all known plants of the day. At that time tea had two accepted genera-Thea and Camellia. Thea sinensis referred to the Chinese plant while Camellia japonica and Camellia sassanqua for the other two strains. [These different plants are to be discussed in a document currently being prepared for the Botany section of darjeelingtea.net]. In 1762 Linneaus added Thea viridis for the "green tea plant" and Thea bohea for the "black tea plant", little knowing that they where one and the same.

In 1959 after several centuries of botanical debate, a decision was made under the International Code of Nomenclature. The current and correct name for the tea plant is Camellia sinensis (L.) O.Kuntze.

"Camellia" comes from a Moravian Jesuit named Kamel (1661-1706) who studied the plants of Asia.

The epithet "sinensis" is from Linneaus and the (L.) refers to him.

O.Kuntze was the botanist who, in 1881, first arranged the name in this way.