Photo: USDA Agricultural Research Service — Public domain · source
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Survives zone 7 through 9
A LEAF crop (tea), not a fruit; shading before harvest raises umami (matcha)
- Hardiness
- Zone 7 to 9
- Habit
- Shrub
- Edible part
- Leaf, Fruit
- Ripens
- Spring–autumn (leaf flushes)
- Mature size
- Shrub 1–2 m; EXCELLENT in containers
- Light
- Full sun to partial
- Soil pH
- 5.0–6.5 — ⚠ ACID-LOVING (like Ericaceae)
- Environment
- Subtropical
- Status
- Cultivated
- Years to fruit
- 3–4 yrs (leaf harvest)
- Pollination
- SELF-INCOMPATIBLE — plant more than one