Adi tea is also known as Purple Taurus, flat ground wood, old but not big, not out of the forest, leaf bottom pearl, leaf bottom red, thousand-year-old, ground tea, Purple Taurus, which is a plant of the family Purple Taurus. The whole plant is nearly creeping, with creeping rhizomes, about 10 to 30 cm high, unbranched, finely pubescent when young, bearing red fruits, and strong vitality. It grows under a forest of 1,200 meters, with bamboo as the base. Many, drought and cold tolerant, evergreen all year round.

Plant form

Evergreen semi-shrub with creeping rhizomes. The stem is single, with brown pubescence on the branches and inflorescences; the leaves are opposite, usually 3 to 4 leaves are gathered on the stem tip, whorled, papery, oval, with a pointed apex, a wedge-shaped base, sharp serrated edges, and a green and shiny upper surface. , lavender underneath, with sparse glandular spots on both sides.

The flowers are borne on the tips of stems or leaf axils at the top, and 2 to 6 flowers are integrated into an umbrella shape; there are glandular points on the sepals, corolla lobes and anther backs; the sepals are oval and acute; the petals are long oval and white. Or light red; 5 stamens; drupe spherical, red when ripe, with black glandular spots. The flowering period is from July to August, and the fruiting period is from August to November.

Grows in moist places under forests, valleys, and streams; distributed throughout the south of the Yangtze River Basin.

It can be harvested all year round. Dig out the whole plant, wash it and dry it in the sun.

Characteristics of dwarf tea

The rhizomes are creeping. The stem is cylindrical or slightly flat, with a brownish-red surface, fine longitudinal lines and leaf marks; it is brittle and easy to break, with a light reddish-brown cross section and white pith. The leaves are alternate, often in pairs or 3 to 7 are gathered on the top of the stem;

The leaves are slightly curled or broken, and the complete leaves are oval after unfolding. The surface of the young leaves is covered with glandular hairs, and the old leaves have sparse and gray hairs. Green, brownish-red or tan, nearly leathery, with a pointed apex, a wedge-shaped base, finely serrated edges, obvious or slightly convex reticular veins, and hairy midribs. There are occasionally pedicels and dark red spherical fruits at the stem end. The smell is slightly fragrant and the taste is slightly astringent.