茶树的起源至今已有6000-7000万年。中国是茶树的原产地，其西南地区，包括云南、贵州、四川是茶树原产地的中心。
Tea plant(Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze.) originated from southwest China 60-70 million years ago. The original habitat of tea trees has been identified; provinces including Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, are considered as center area of tea plant birth place.

最古老的野生近缘种茶树高可达30米，基部干围达1.5米以上，寿命达数百年之久。

The oldest wild relatives tea plant could grow to the height of 30 meters,circumference of its base stem could be over 1.5 meters, with its expected lifespan could be centuries.

生产茶园里种植的茶树，树高多修剪至0.8-1.2米之间。茶树经济学年龄，一般为50-60年。

Most tea trees will be trimmed to height of 0.8-1.2 meters, and providing material leaves steadily for 50-60 years.

来源: 安徽农业大学茶树种质创新与资源利用全国重点实验室