Mr Tsvangirai describes the move as 'harassment'
Mr Tsvangirai denies plotting to kill President Robert Mugabe, who defeated him in a presidential election 10 days ago that was marked by allegations of vote rigging and intimidation.
The shadow lands and agriculture minister for Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Renson Gasela, was also charged with treason.
The court is currently considering a bail application for the two men.
Earlier, Australian Prime Minister John Howard - one of the Commonwealth leaders who announced Zimbabwe's suspension on Tuesday - said any notion of prosecution of the opposition leader was damaging to the process of reconciliation in the country.
And Mr Tsvangirai's lawyer, Eric Matinenga, described the court appearance as "continued harassment" and "a knee-jerk reaction to the events that unfolded yesterday in London".
Mr Tsvangirai's summons came after another Commonwealth leader, Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo, told the BBC that the governing and opposition parties in Zimbabwe had agreed to discuss a plan put forward by the Commonwealth to resolve the political crisis.
Mr Obasanjo said this envisaged setting up a coalition government to promote reconciliation, with a new election to be held at an unspecified future date.
Secret video
The treason charge against Mr Tsvangirai carries a possible death penalty.
Mr Tsvangirai's deputy, Welshman Ncube, was formally charged with the same offence and granted bail the day before the election, which Mr Mugabe officially won with 56% of the vote.
The allegations against Mr Tsvangirai were made by a Canadian political consultancy, Dickens and Madson, headed by former Israeli intelligence officer and Mugabe lobbyist Ari Ben-Menashe.
But there have been suggestions the videotape was heavily edited.
Commonwealth observers' findings
Click here for observers' findings
Last year, charges of treason against Mr Tsvangirai were dropped after a court ruled them unconstitutional.
Wednesday saw a lukewarm response to a call by Zimbabwe trade unions for a three-day general strike - the first public test of opposition support since the election.
Police have declared the action illegal.
It has been launched in protest at what the unions say is harassment of pro-opposition workers since Mr Mugabe won a fifth term of office.
Reports from the capital said some areas were quiet on Wednesday morning, while in others it appeared to be business as usual.
A number of factories and shops closed, but most government offices, post offices and schools remained open, correspondents said.