The first is characterised by the leaves being of a pale-green colour, thin, almost membraneous, broad lanceolate, sinatures or edge irregular and reversed, length from three to six inches.  The color of the stem of newly-formed shoots is of a pale-reddish colour, and green towards the end.  This species is also marked by its strong growth, its erect stem, and the shoots being generally upright and stiff.  The flowers are small, and its seeds but sparing.

In its characters this plant, received from Assam, agrees in part with those assigned by Dr. Lettsom and Sir W. Hooker to the Thea viridis, but differs in its branches being stiff and erect.  The flowers small, or rather much about the same size as the species about to be described, and not confined to the upper axils of the plant, and solitary, as stated by them.[10] By the Chinese manufacturers it is considered an inferior plant for making tea, it is not therefore grown to any extent.

The second species is characterised by its leaves being much smaller, and not so broadly lanceolate; slightly waved, of a dark-green color, thick and coriaceous, sinature or edge irregular, length from one to three inches and a half.  In its growth it is much smaller than the former, and throws out numerous spreading branches, and seldom presents its marked leading stem.  This species, therefore, in the above characters, agrees much with those that have been assigned to Thea Bohea by authors.  The characters have been mixed up in an extraordinary manner.  Thus it has been stated, that the Thea viridis has large, strong growing, and spreading branches, and that Thea Bohea is a smaller plant, with branches stiff and straight, and stem erect.  No doubt the Thea viridis is a much larger and stronger growing plant than the Thea Bohea, or rather the plant now existing in the different plantations is so; but in the former the branches are stiff and erect, and in the latter inclined and branches.  The marked distinguishing characters between the two species are the coriaceous dark-green leaves in the Thea Bohea, and the large pale-green monhanaeous leaves of the Thea viridis.  The manner, too, of growth is very striking, and on entering the plantation the distinction is at once marked to the most unobservant eye.  This species of Thea Bohea forms nearly the whole of the plantations, and was brought from China by Dr. Gordon.

In the plantations there is a third plant, which, however, can only be considered a marked variety of Thea Bohea.  Its leaves are thick, coriaceous, and of dark-green color, but invariably very small, and not exceeding two inches in length, and thinly lanceolate; the serratures, too, on the edge, which are straight, are not so deep.  In other characters it is identical.  This marked variety was received from Calcutta at the plantation in a separate despatch from