There is only ONE kind of tea tree. Plz folks, make more. (mander.xyz)

submitted 13 hours ago by plantteacher@mander.xyz to c/biodiversity@mander.xyz

8 comments fedilink hide all child comments

You walk into a tea shops and find countless varieties. All those herbal teas: not really tea. They are made from non-tea plants, most of which taste nothing like real tea. Peu-er is probably as close as it gets.

The remaining (real) tea all comes from the same singular specie. Green and black is just a difference in processing of the same plant. White tea is just taking the tips of the tea leaf. All the flavors are just ways we dress it up with additives, or by smoking it (e.g. Russian Earl Gray).

Why the lack of biodiversity? Because no one has genetically modified a tea tree to give us more choice. There are far more tea drinkers in the world than coffee drinkers. That’s ideal b/c coffee has environmental consequences. It also means there should be a huge market for something like a tea tree that is married to a maple tree to give us maple tasting tea, or GMO tea that tastes like coffee.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] PrimeErective@startrek.website 6 points 13 hours ago

Are you saying pu'erh is herbal tea?

[-] mkwt@lemmy.world 8 points 13 hours ago

For reference, pu'erh is regular Camellia sinensis tea where the leaves are packed into cakes and subjected to a fermentation and aging process.

[-] plantteacher@mander.xyz 4 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

I did, but I may be wrong. Wikipedia says tea trees are used.

[-] sploosh@lemmy.world 8 points 13 hours ago

The phrase "tea tree" generally refers to a different plant than Camellia sinensis. "Tea plant" or "tea bush" are what you're looking for.

Tea is just one Camellia of many. Tea seed oil is used in cosmetics and comes from a different Camellia and ornamental Camellias are common in gardens around the world. Your scope on Camellia doesn't encompass the breadth of it.

[-] Sidhean@piefed.social 3 points 12 hours ago

Really proves your point that the one you landed on as "closest" was cheating lmao.

this post was submitted on 19 Oct 2025

18 points (100.0% liked)

Biodiversity

2773 readers

33 users here now

Welcome to c/Biodiversity @ Mander.xyz!

A community about the variety of life on Earth at all levels; including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi.

Notice Board

This is a work in progress, please don't mind the mess.

2023-06-16: We invite our users to contribute resources for the sidebar.

2023-06-15: Looking for mods!

About

Biodiversity is a term used to describe the enormous variety of life on Earth. It can be used more specifically to refer to all of the species in one region or ecosystem. Biodiversity refers to every living thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. However, only around 1.2 million species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insects. This means that millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery.

Over generations, all of the species that are currently alive today have evolved unique traits that make them distinct from other species. These differences are what scientists use to tell one species from another. Organisms that have evolved to be so different from one another that they can no longer reproduce with each other are considered different species. All organisms that can reproduce with each other fall into one species. Read more...

Rules