is a species of shrub in the flowering tea plant family. The leaves and buds of the plant are harvested and processed in a variety of ways, producing a range of different teas, including white tea, yellow tea, green tea, oolong tea, pu-erh (or red tea) and black tea. The different processing methods determine the oxidation level of the final tea, black tea being the most oxidised and white tea the least. Kukicha tea is also harvested from the plant but uses the twigs and stems, not the leaves.
