BOT 1200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Shennong, Camellia Sinensis, Yerba Mate
Document Summary
Lecture 13: stimulating beverages: teas, cola and mate. The word tea is from chinese dialect terms for this beverage: tchai, cha, and tay. Becoming more popular due to medicinal studies. Produced in africa, asia and south american. Referred to as infusions of plants but these are distinct though they have some similarities. Turkey is the highest nation consuming tea (550 cup a year) Tea is a dried and blended preparation of the leaves of camellia sinensis and its varieties (theaceae family). A variety is a taxamonic term that determines a rank in it species. 1752- classified by linnaeus as thea sinensis on the basis of the number of flower petals. Tea taxonomy then and now: initially, thea referred to cultivated tea and camellia was used for non-tea varieties. Today camellia is the accepted genus name. According to chinese legend, shen nung accidently discovered tea.