Abstract:
Tea is one of the world’s most popular beverages, known for its cultural significance
and numerous health benefits. A clear understanding of the origin and history of
domestication of the tea species is a fundamental pre-requisite for effective germplasm
conservation and improvement. Though there is a general consensus about the center
of origin of the tea plant, the evolutionary origin and expansion history of the species
remain shrouded in controversy, with studies often reporting conflicting findings. This
mini review provides a concise summary of the current state of knowledge regarding
the origin, domestication, and dissemination of the species around the world. We note
that tea was domesticated around 3000 B.C. either from non-tea wild relatives (probably
Camellia grandibracteata and/or C. leptophylla) or intra-specifically from the wild Camellia
sinensis var. assamica trees, and that the genetic origins of the various tea varieties may
need further inquiry. Moreover, we found that lineage divergence within the tea family
was apparently largely driven by a combination of orogenic, climatic, and human-related
forces, a fact that could have important implications for conservation of the contemporary
tea germplasm. Finally, we demonstrate the robustness of an integrative approach
involving linguistics, historical records, and genetics to identify the center of origin of
the tea species, and to infer its history of expansion. Throughout the review, we identify
areas of debate, and highlight potential research gaps, which lay a foundation for future
explorations of the topic.
