tea-plantn.
1. The plant from which tea is obtained, the tea-shrub: = tea n.1 3.
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the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > tea-plant > [noun]
tea1663
tea-shrub1704
tea-plant1728
tea tree1760
tea-bush1908
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Tea The Tea Plant affects Valleys, and the Feet of Mountains, and a stony Soil.
1771 J. Ellis in Philos. Trans. 1770 (Royal Soc.) 60 525 One of the first tea-plants that has been produced from seed in this kingdom.
1888 J. Paton in Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 97/2 The tea-plant is cultivated in China as an evergreen shrub.
2. Applied to various other plants: see tea n.1 6.
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1798 Monthly Mag. Mar. 211 The tea plant of St. Domingo; Capraria biflora,..the leaves of which are employed..for the same purpose as the tea of China and Japan.
1864 Athenæum 10 Dec. 788/2 Leptospermum, the tea-plant of Australia.
1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. 701 L[ycium] barbarum..is commonly known as the Tea plant.
1884 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants Tea-plant, or Tea-tree,..African, Lycium afrum...—, Blue Mountain, or Golden-rod, Solidago odora...—, St. Helena, Beatsonia portulacæfolia...—, Surinam, various species of Lantana.
1903 A. C. P. Haggard Sporting Yarns 136 (Canada) The long grass and Labrador tea-plants on the banks.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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