Photo: Raffi Kojian — CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
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Survives zone 8 through 9
A LEAF crop (tea), not a fruit; shading before harvest raises umami (matcha) Care: Winter protection — mulch, fleece, or a warm wall.
- Hardiness
- Zone 8 to 9
- Habit
- Shrub
- Edible part
- Leaf, Fruit
- Ripens
- Spring–autumn (leaf flushes)
- Mature size
- Shrub 1–2 m; EXCELLENT in containers
- Light
- Partial (inferred)
- Soil pH
- 5.0–6.5 — ⚠ ACID-LOVING (like Ericaceae)
- Environment
- Montane
- Status
- Both wild and cultivated
- Years to fruit
- 3–4 yrs (leaf harvest)
- Pollination
- SELF-INCOMPATIBLE — plant more than one