Common Name: Coffee

General Information

Coffea arabica is a globose, evergreen plant. It is usually found as a compact shrub 1.5 - 3 metres tall, though in time, if not pruned bak, is able to become a small tree growing 3 - 10 metres tall with a spreading crown. The bole can become up to 8cm in diameter[].
One of the most common drinks in the world, its seeds have long been valued for their stimulating qualities. The plant is widely cultivated in many tropical regions for this seed, which is roasted to make the drink. The plant is also often grown as an ornamental in gardens[]. There are some named varieties[, ].

Known Hazards

The seeds contain chlorogenic acid, which is a known allergen[].

Botanical References

Range

Africa - Tropical regions in the northeast.

Habitat

An understorey tree in high elevation humid forests[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	7.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Bees, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

In equatorial regions, the plant can be grown at elevations from 1,300 to 2,800 metres, with 1,500 - 1,900 metres being most common. The minimum elevation reduces to about 500 metres at a latitude around 15°N or S, whilst in the subtropics it can be grown from sea level to 1,000 metres[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 14 - 28°c, but can tolerate 10 - 34°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,400 - 2,300mm, but tolerates 750 - 4,200mm[]. With too much rainfall the plant tends to develop wood at the expense of flowers and fruits[]. One to 2 months of less than 50mm rain facilitates uniform flowering. Heavy rain during and after harvest is not desirable[].
Prefers a position in light shade[]. Shading improves leaf and shoot growth but reduces root growth[]. Prefers a deep friable soil on undulating land[]. Plants are unsuited to stiff clay or sandy soils, but are considered tolerant of acid soils[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 4.3 - 8.4[].
Plants can begin to bear within 2 - 3 years and are in full bearing at the age of 6 - 8 years[].
The optimum yield of clean dry coffee beans is 2- 3 tonnes/ha, which has been obtained in Kenya. The average yields are about 0.5 tonnes/ha in Brazil and 0.9 tonnes/ha in Africa[].
Coffee plants can produce economic yields for 30 - 40 years on average, though this can vary from 10 - 70 years and plants of 80 - 100 years are known[].
The plant is tetraploid, and over 30 mutations have been recognized[]. In the bisexual flowers, pollen is shed shortly after the flower opens, and the stigma is receptive immediately. Self-pollination can occur, as seed sets even when the flowers are bagged[]. Pollination is also by honeybees, which collect nectar and pollen from the flowers[].

Edible Uses

The dried seeds ('beans') are roasted, ground, and brewed to make one of the two most popular beverages in the world[]. Coffee is widely used as flavouring in ice cream, pastries, candies, and liqueurs[].

The seed has been used as a masticatory since ancient times. Cooked in butter, it can be used to make rich flat cakes[].

An extract from the seeds is used as a flavouring in ice cream etc[].

The dried, roasted green seeds have been used as an appetizer, whilst chocolate-covered roasted seeds are used as a gourmet snack[].

The red fruits and leaves are chewed for their stimulating properties[].

Leaves - cooked. The cooked leaves have a strong brown colour, a good texture and a rather neutral flavour with only a hint of bitterness[].

The leaves contain more caffeine than the fruit and are sometimes used as a tea substitute[].

Medicinal

The seed contains caffeine, a widely used stimulant that is also used in proprietary painkillers to potentiate the effect of aspirin and paracetamol[]. It also contains the stimulants theobromine and theophylline, as well as chlorogenic acid, which is stimulant and diuretic as well as a known allergen[].The seed is a bitter, aromatic, stimulant herb that has diuretic effects and controls vomiting[].
It is reported to be analgesic, an aphrodisiac, anorexic, antidotal, cardiotonic, CNS-stimulant, counterirritant, diuretic, hypnotic, galactagogue and nervine[].
Whilst not usually recognised as a medical herb, coffee is a highly effective general stimulant, having a particular effect upon the central nervous system, improving perception and physical performance[]. It has been found of help in some cases of headache or migraine[].
An enema made using coffee beans is an effective cleanser for the large bowel[].
Coffee is a folk remedy for asthma, atropine poisoning, fever, flu, headache, jaundice, malaria, migraine, narcosis, nephrosis, opium poisoning, sores and vertigo[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is often intercropped with food crops, such as corn, beans or rice, during the first few years of growth[].

Other Uses

Coffelite, a type of plastic, is made from coffee beans[].

Coffee, with iodine, is used as a deodorant[].

The seeds contain caffeine, which has been described as a natural herbicide. It selectively inhibits germination of the seeds of Amaranthus spinosus[].

The bark can be made into pulp and parchment, or used as manure and mulches[, ].

The whitish wood is hard, dense, heavy, tough, durable and takes a polish well. It is suitable for tables, chairs and turnery[, , ].

Propagation

Propagation is usually by seed. The optimum temperature for the germination of coffee seeds is about 30 - 32°c, below 10°c germination is very slow[]. The viability of the seeds is comparatively short, depending upon conditions, and it is advisable to plant within 2 months of harvesting. The older the seeds, the longer they take to germinate and they lose viability. They can be planted with the parchment attached but germination is quicker when it is removed[]. Seedlings can be raised in shaded nurseries, planting them out into their permanent positions when 6 - 12 months old[].
Layering
Air layering
Budding. For rooting of coffee cuttings, the single leaf-bud cutting is commonly used[].

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