Accession Count: 8
Common Name:
coffee
Family Name:
Rubiaceae
Botanical Name:
Coffea arabica
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
Coffea arabica is a tropical evergreen shrub or small tree with evenly-spaced horizontal branches. The branches are covered with shiny wavy dark green leaves that are elliptical in shape and opposite in configuration and measure up to 6 inches long (1,2). The plant is usually upright in form and may be single or multi-stemmed, with the main stem approximately 2½ to 3 inches in diameter at breast height (3). Its wood is light-colored, heavy, and hard with grey bark that becomes fissured and rough with age (2,3). White, star-shaped flowers appear in the springtime, blooming in axillary clusters of 2-9 and emitting a sweet fragrance similar to that of jasmine (2,3). Flowers measure ¾-1 inch in diameter with five lobes on a short tubular corolla (4). Coffee berries, oval in shape and measuring ½-¾ inch in length, develop from the flowers. The berries are green initially and become yellow, red or purple at maturity (1). They are composed of a soft outer pulpy layer, which is edible and sweet, and two pale brown oval-shaped seeds (coffee “beans”), up ½ inch long (1,4). Because coffee berries ripen at different times, they are generally picked by hand (5). The outer pulpy layer is removed and the seeds are dried in the sun and then roasted and ground to produce the common beverage (2). The plant contains caffeine, located mainly in the seeds (up to 3%)(5). The caffeine protects the vegetative parts of the plants from attack by insects and fungi; it also prevents the reproduction of bacteria and the growth of other plants near germinating seeds (3,6). Coffea arabica is a hybrid species, created by crossing C. eugenioides and C. canephora; it is the only self-fertile species in the genus (1,7).
Compound:
Cof ara
Geographic Origin:
East Africa
Ecozone Origin:
Afrotropic
Biome Origin:
Natural History:
Coffea arabica is native to the highlands of Ethiopia, although native populations may have also existed in nearby Sudan and Kenya (1,3). In its natural habitat, the plant is accustomed to growing in rainforest areas with tropical or sub-tropical climates at elevations of 4500 to 6000 feet (3,8). It was first cultivated in the Arabian peninsula during the 14th century, although some reports propose as early as the 6th century (1,3,5). By the 16th century the drink had come to Europe, making its way to Britain by around 1650, being imported initially from plantations established by the Dutch in Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) and the East Indies, including Java (1,5). Due to the drink’s popularity, coffeehouses spread rapidly throughout Britain replacing taverns as the preferred places for open discussion of ideas, and Britain became a coffee-drinking nation (5). In the early 18th century, several specimen plants were taken from Java to Amsterdam, where they were placed in the botanical conservatory. From one of these plants, seeds were harvested and taken to Surinam in 1718 (5). Another plant was given by the mayor of Amsterdam to King Louis XIV in 1714 (9). A seedling from this plant was smuggled to the Caribbean in 1723. From these first plants, Coffea arabica spread throughout the Caribbean, the rest Central and South America, including Brazil in 1727, and to Hawaii in 1813, initiating coffee production in the New World (4,5). Brazil would later become the world’s largest producer of coffee, a position it maintains today (9). The coffee production in Ceylon and Java, however, was a monoculture and was attacked by Hemileia vastatrix, the fungal pathogen causing coffee rust (10). By the late 19th century the disease had decimated the coffee plantations in the region, forcing many planters to change from growing coffee to tea (Camellia sinensis) and causing the British to change their beverage of choice (5,10). The fungus was kept out of Brazil by strict quarantines until 1970, when it was discovered there (10). Currently it is found in all coffee-producing regions of the world except Hawaii (10). Today Coffea arabica is the most commonly cultivated species of coffee, accounting for nearly 80% (some sources say 90%) of the world’s coffee production (the rest is mostly C. canephora, Robusta coffee)(6,7). Approximately 100 million people rely on it for their livelihood, and it is crucial in the economies of some tropical countries, having an export value of $15.4 billion in 2009-10 (1). Although it is rarely found in its native geographic region, it can be found naturalized in many areas throughout the world, from humid tropics to temperate zones between 5°N and 34°S latitude (6). In these regions, it grows at elevations from sea level to 8000 feet where temperatures average between 50° and 80° F and where rainfall is regular and well-distributed, averaging between 20 and 100 inches per year (6). It is spread by seeds disseminated by birds, fruit bats, or rats (8).
Cultivation Notes:
Coffea arabica is an attractive plant that is relatively easy to grow and can be used as a specimen plant or in shrub borders (2,11). It is generally propagated from seeds, but can also be reproduced by budding, grafting or cuttings (3,6). It is does well in most soils, but prefers rich, well-drained soils, and tolerates pH’s between 4 and 8 with a preferred range of 5.2 to 6.2 (2,3,8). Soil should be kept moist, but not soggy, and the plant should receive fertilizer during the growing season (2). The optimum temperatures for the plant range between 70° and 80° F during the daytime and between 60° and 65° F at night (2,3). Growth is slowed at temperatures higher than about 77° F and leaf drop can occur at temperatures below 55° F (2,3,8). Frost will kill both leaves and fruit (3). Coffea arabica can grow in shade and in full sun and can be pruned to keep desired size and shape (3,8,11). It is also a good plant for containers on patios, verandas or indoor rooms; the size of inside container plants, however, will be smaller, usually between 4 and 6 feet tall (2,11,12). It can be espaliered (11). Plants begin flowering and bearing fruit at 3-4 years of age and in are generally in full production by 6-8 years; they can live to be 100 years old (2,3,6). Fruits ripen within 7-9 months after flowering (6). Plants usually flower and fruit once per season, and only on new growth, although in tropical regions they can flower twice (3,7).
Ethnobotany:
Although the best-known use of Coffea arabica is the drink that became popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, the earliest uses of the plant were probably as a food. From ancient times, nomadic tribes in East Africa recognized that the beans could be chewed raw as a stimulant (3). The beans were also ground and mixed with butter or other animal fat and rolled into balls to be used as rations while traveling, or alternatively, they were eaten as porridge (13). During the Middle Ages its stimulant properties were well-known and the drink was used by monks as a means to stay awake during nighttime prayers (13). Today, in addition being consumed in the form of the ever-popular drink, coffee berries are sometimes eaten by children and field workers (3). In Ethiopia the ground seeds are cooked in butter to make flat cakes (6). In Arabia a fermented drink is made from the pulp (6,13). In some regions the leaves are steeped to make a tea (1,6,13). Coffee is commonly used as a flavoring for ice cream, pastries, and other food items (1,3,6,13). The plant has a long list of medicinal uses. Poultices made from the leaves are used in some countries to treat sores (3). Root sap or root infusions are drunk as a pain-killer for scorpion stings (3). Purified caffeine, obtained through the decaffeination of coffee, is frequently used as a stimulant, diuretic, headache remedy, and diet aid (as well as being added to soda and medicines)(1,3). Other sources report that properties of caffeine include anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, antiulcer, anticolitic, cardiotonic, and that it acts as a vermifuge and coronary-dilator (13). Coffee has been used as a folk remedy for asthma, eczema, fever, flu, jaundice, malaria, migraines, vertigo, and many other conditions (3,13). Reportedly a brew of the leaves and seeds is used to accelerate labor (13). Coffee mixed with iodine is used as a deodorant (6,13). The pulp from coffee berries are used as mulches and soil amendments, and in India are fed to cattle (3,6,13). The wood, which is partially resistant to termites, is used for construction or turned into furniture; in the New World it is usually used as firewood (1,3,6,13). Coffelite is a type of plastic made from coffee beans (6). Coffee is also a good honey plant (3).
Height:
11 - 15 feet
Width:
11 - 15 feet
Growth Rate:
Fast Growing
Grow Season:
Summer
Flower Season:
Spring
Color:
White
Function:
Accent
Spread:
Non-spreading
Allergen:
Non-allergenic
Invasive:
Invasive
Toxicity:
Benign
Hardy:
Tender
Water Use:
Moderate Water Use
Citations:
1. “Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee).” Kew Royal Botanical Gardens. Accessed May 21, 2015.
2. “Coffea arabica.” Missouri Botanical Garden. Accessed May 21, 2015.
3. Francis, J. “Coffea arabica L.” U.S. Forest Service. Accessed May 21, 2015.
4. “Coffee.” College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Accessed May 21, 2015.
5. “Coffee (Coffea arabica and C. canephora).” UCLA College of Life Sciences. Accessed May 21, 2015.
6. Duke, J. (1983), “Coffea arabica L.,” in Handbook of Energy Crops (unpublished). Center for New Crops & Crop Products, Purdue University. Accessed May 21, 2015.
7. “Arabica and Robusta Coffee Plant.” Coffee Research Institute. Accessed May 21, 2015.
8. “Coffea arabica.” Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER). Accessed May 21, 2015.
9. “The History of Coffee.” National Coffee Association. Accessed May 21, 2015.
10. Ameson, P.A. (2000), “Coffee Rust.” American Phytopathological Society. Accessed May 21, 2015.
11. Gilman, E. “Coffea arabica: Coffee.” University of Florida IFAS Extension. Accessed May 21, 2015.
12. Brenzel, K., ed. (1998). Sunset Western Garden Book. 12 Publishing Corporation.
13. “Coffea arabica.” National Tropical Botanical Garden. Accessed May 21, 2015.
