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Camellia oleifera
 
 
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Camellia oleifera, which originated in China, is notable as an important source of edible oil (known as tea oil
Tea oil

Tea seed oil is an edible, pale amber-green fixed oil with a sweet, herbal aroma. It is cold-pressed mainly from the seeds of Camellia oleifera but also from Camellia sinensis or Camellia japonica....
 or camellia oil) obtained from its seeds . It is commonly known as the Oil-seed Camellia, Tea Oil Camellia, or Lu Shan Snow Camellia, though to a lesser extent other species of Camellia
Camellia

Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are native to eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Japan and Indonesia....
 are used in oil production too.

It is widely distributed in China and is cultivated extensively there.






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Camellia oleifera, which originated in China, is notable as an important source of edible oil (known as tea oil
Tea oil

Tea seed oil is an edible, pale amber-green fixed oil with a sweet, herbal aroma. It is cold-pressed mainly from the seeds of Camellia oleifera but also from Camellia sinensis or Camellia japonica....
 or camellia oil) obtained from its seeds . It is commonly known as the Oil-seed Camellia, Tea Oil Camellia, or Lu Shan Snow Camellia, though to a lesser extent other species of Camellia
Camellia

Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are native to eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Japan and Indonesia....
 are used in oil production too.

It is widely distributed in China and is cultivated extensively there. It is found in forest
Forest

File:Stara planina suma.jpgA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on various criteria....
s, thickets, banks of streams and foothills at elevations of 500 to 1300 metres.

This species looks much similar to Camellia sasanqua
Camellia sasanqua

The Christmas Camellia is a species of Camellia native to the evergreen coastal forests of southern Japan in Shikoku, Kyushu and many other minor islands as far south as Okinawa....
 except the dark green, evergreen leaves are a bit larger, three to five inches long and two to three inches wide. Single, white, fragrant flowers are produced in late winter, and this large shrub or small tree will reach a height of 20 feet with thin, upright, multiple trunks and branches. The crown forms a rounded or oval vase with lower branches removed.

Uses

The seeds of Camellia sinensis
Camellia sinensis

Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, is the species of plant whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. It is of the genus Camellia , a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae....
 and Camellia oleifera can be pressed to yield tea oil
Tea oil

Tea seed oil is an edible, pale amber-green fixed oil with a sweet, herbal aroma. It is cold-pressed mainly from the seeds of Camellia oleifera but also from Camellia sinensis or Camellia japonica....
, a sweetish seasoning and cooking oil that should not be confused with tea tree oil
Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil or melaleuca oil is a clear to very pale golden color essential oil with a fresh camphoraceous odor. It is taken from the leaf of the Melaleuca alternifolia which is native to the northeast coast of New South Wales, Australia....
, an essential oil that is used for medical and cosmetical purposes and originates from the leaves of a different plant. The seed oil can be used as treatment of ringworm. Tea-oil Camellia is commonly over 80% monounsaturated fat
Monounsaturated fat

In biochemistry and nutrition, monounsaturated fats are fatty acids that have a single double bond in the fatty acid chain and all of the remainder of the carbon atoms in the chain are single bond....
. As such, it reduces LDL ('bad cholesterol'). Tea Oil is also known as "Tea Seed Oil" when sold as cooking oil in supermarkets throughout Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

It can also used in textile manufacture, soap making and as an illuminant. Camellia oil is also traditionally used to protect Japanese woodworking tools and cutlery from corrosion and is currently sold for that purpose

See also

  • Tea seed oil is the name given to the oil created by pressing the seeds of Camellia oleifera.
  • Tea tree oil
    Tea tree oil

    Tea tree oil or melaleuca oil is a clear to very pale golden color essential oil with a fresh camphoraceous odor. It is taken from the leaf of the Melaleuca alternifolia which is native to the northeast coast of New South Wales, Australia....
     is derived from Melaleuca alternifolia
    Melaleuca

    Melaleuca is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. There are well over 200 recognized species, most of which are endemic to Australia....
     which is native to Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
     and unrelated to the tea plant discussed here.
  • Tea tree
    Tea tree

    Tea tree or Ti-tree is a popular name that has been applied to a number of different, unrelated plants:*Camellia sinensis , from which black, green, oolong and white tea are all obtained....
     is a name sometimes applied to a number of different plants unrelated to the tea plant.