Care Guide | Moujean Tea
If you love the idea of growing your own herbal tea, Moujean Tea is a fun little plant to add to your collection! Native to the Bahamas, this compact plant is valued for its aromatic leaves, which can be used to make herbal tea. Its clusters of small flowers also attract pollinators.
Characteristics
Moujean Tea (Nashia inaguensis) is a small plant native to the Bahamas. It is valued for its aromatic leaves, which are used to make herbal tea. The plant produces clusters of tiny white flowers and small orange berries.
Overview
🏷️ Scientific Name: Nashia inaguensis
📊 Classification: Small shrub / container plant
📍 Origin: Bahamas
🗺️ USDA Hardiness Zones: 9–11
📏 Height Potential: 3–6 feet
🏡 Planting: Container or bonsai
☀️ Light: Full sun to partial shade
💧 Watering: Moderate watering; prefers moist soils
🍃 Uses: Flowers and fruit that attract pollinators, leaves for tea
🐈 Pet Friendly: Yes
Scientific Name
The scientific name for Moujean Tea is Nashia inaguensis.
Classification
Moujean Tea is a small plant that is particularly well suited to bonsai and container growing.
Origin
Moujean Tea is native to the Bahamas.
USDA Hardiness Zones
Moujean Tea grows in USDA Zones 9–11. It should be protected from frost and freezing temperatures. Learn more in our overwintering guide.
Height Potential
Moujean Tea can reach approximately 3–6 feet tall at maturity. Its relatively small size makes it a popular choice for growing in containers and as a bonsai.
Light
Moujean Tea grows in full sun to partial shade.
Soil/Watering
Moujean Tea prefers moist soils and requires moderate watering.
Uses
While Moujean Tea is most valued for its aromatic leaves--which are used to make herbal tea--Moujean Tea also produces clusters of tiny white flowers. So it's great for a butterfly garden, too. So whether growing for the tea or to attract pollinators, you can't go wrong with Moujean Tea.
After flowering, Moujean Tea can produce small orange berries. The berries provide a pop of color against the plant's foliage and are one of the features that make this compact plant so unique.
It's often grown as a bonsai or container plant. Its small mature size of approximately 3–6 feet makes it particularly well suited to gardeners who want to grow something unique without needing a large amount of garden space.
Pet Friendly?
Moujean tea is not toxic to your furry friends.
After Arrival Care
Please give your plant a little TLC after its journey through the mail 📬. Here are a few steps we recommend:
- Unwrap immediately to provide fresh air to the plant and soil.
- Wait a few days before exposing to full sunlight so your plant can adjust after being in a dark box for several days.
- Always protect from heat and cold because temperature extremes can be stressful or deadly for plants.
- Water. Your baby plant may be parched and even a little wilted but thorough hydration will help it recover.
- Grow out in a larger pot to increase your chances of success—i.e., a quarter gallon—Then transplant to the ground or the next pot size up once the roots fill to the bottom. This will help the plant get sufficient water and nutrients directly to the roots.
Learn more in our After Arrival Care Guide.
Repotting
We highly recommend growing your baby plant out in a larger pot 🪴 to increase your chances of success 🏆. Repotting helps focus the water and nutrients directly towards the roots. If the pot is too large or if your baby is planted in the ground, the water and nutrients have more room to spread to the wrong places where they aren’t needed. This can be extra detrimental to a baby plant that needs all the support it can get as it’s growing up.
You don’t have to repot immediately, but the sooner you do, the more room it has to grow.
Here are some general repotting tips:
- Start with a pot that's 1-2 inches larger in diameter than the starter-sized pot it came in. A pint or quart would be great.
- Transplant to the next pot size up once the roots fill to the bottom.
Learn more in our Repotting Guide.
Grow Your Own Teas
Start or continue growing your own homegrown tea collection with Wellspring Gardens. Want something to sip on while you wait for your own tea to grow? Try our carefully-curated collection of unique, ready-to-drink, dry teas.
Happy planting! 🪴