Life Span
Perennial
-
Type
Palm or Cycad
Tree
Origin
United States, Southeastern United States
China
Types
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Camellia sinensis var. sinensis
Camellia sinensis var. assamica
Number of Varieties
152
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cold Regions, Subtropical climates
Hillside, Mountain Slopes, Subtropical climates, Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-107-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-6
8-5
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
180.00 cm300.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm300.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Light Yellow, Lavender
White, Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Dark Red, Brown, Sienna
Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Slow
Slow
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Fall, Late Fall, Early Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site, Drought, Soil Compaction
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs small amount of water
Keep ground moist, Prefer drip-irrigation instead of Over-head watering, Requires a lot of watering, Water when soil is dry
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune to control growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Generally pruned to waist height, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, can go long without fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Caterpillars, Moth, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate, Frost
-
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Rabbits, Small mammals
-
Allergy
drowsiness, Scratches
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
bank hedging, Ornamental use
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Ethnobotanic
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, Frostbite
Diabetes, High cholestrol, Kidney Stones, Parkinson
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Leaves
Other Uses
Application in Handicrafts, Showy Purposes
Preferably used as black tea, Used for producing cooking oil, Used in making beverages
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Container, Edible, Feature Plant, Foundation, Hedges
Botanical Name
RHAPIDOPHYLLUM hystrix
CAMELLIA sinensis
Common Name
Needle Palm, Porcupine plant
Tea, Tea Camellia
In Hindi
सुई ताड़
चाय के पौधे
In German
Nadel -Palme
Teepflanze
In French
palmier aiguille
usine de thé
In Spanish
palmera aguja
planta del té
In Greek
βελόνα φοίνικα
φυτό του τσαγιού
In Portuguese
palmeira agulha
planta do chá
In Polish
Igła palma
Herbata roślin
In Latin
acus palma
Tea herba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Arecales
Ericales
Family
Arecaceae
Theaceae
Genus
Rhapidophyllum
Camellia
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Corypheae
-
Subfamily
Coryphoideae
-
Number of Species
101
1
27800
👆🏻