Image: Wikimedia Commons (See link for license)
Tea family๐บ
Theaceae
ใใใญ็ง
A family including camellia, sasanqua, and tea (Camellia sinensis). The center of diversity is in East Asia. Characterized by numerous stamens with fused filaments. Globally important as the source of tea.
Key Characteristics
- โNumerous stamens (filaments fused into bundles)
- โGlossy, coriaceous (leathery) leaves
- โMostly evergreen shrubs to trees
- โBasically 5 petals
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values โ multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Serrate / Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Tree
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
Many
Ovary position
Superior / Inferior / Half-inferior
Stamen count
5 / 7-10
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Ericales > Theaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ใปDiversification in East Asia
- ใปRelationship with humans as the source plant for tea