Mike in Fuding

A warm day in the hills outside Fuding.

These plants are the the Da Bei (Big White ) that produce the big buds that turn white when dried. They turn white because the chlorophyll that makes the leave look green when fresh is not mature and can not "fixed" green. The bud has little hairs (correctly known as tricomes) that serves as additional protection of the young bud. This bud would unfurl into leaves if not plucked. Thus it is the teaplants future. So the plant spoils its young by giving them more energy (glucose) and more protection against bugs (anti-oxidants & caffeine). And it is these extras that makes the buds into the highly desirable white tea.