Common Name: Robusta Coffee

General Information

Coffea canephora is a very variable evergreen shrub or small tree growing up to 12 metres tall, though usually smaller[, ]. It often has a large, umbrella shaped growth habit.
A source of coffee beans, it is considered inferior to Coffea arabica but is sometimes used for making instant coffees[]. The plant is sometimes cultivated for this purpose[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Western Africa - Congo Basin.

Habitat

Open or dense rain-forest, forest margins and to desert areas, at elevations up to 600 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	8.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moister tropics, where it is usually found at elevations between 200 - 800 metres, occasionally up to 1,300 metres[, ]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 30°c, but can tolerate 12 - 36°c[]. It can be killed by temperatures of 5°c or lower[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,700 - 3,000mm, but tolerates 900 - 4,000mm[]. One to 2 months of less than 50mm rain facilitates uniform flowering[].
Prefers a well-drained fertile, neutral to slightly acid soil[]. Succeeds in shallow soils in areas of high rainfall, and will stand temporary waterlogging[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.3, tolerating 4 - 8[]. Plants can tolerate 21 - 30 days of mild drought[].
Plants can begin to flower and fruit within 3 - 4 years from seed. The yield increases up to the age of 14 years[].
The plant has an economic life of 20 - 80 years (average 50 years), with declining yields. The tree may live as long as a hundred years.
Well managed plantations may produce up to 2 tonnes per hectare of fresh berries[].
A distinct dry season is favourable for flower initiation[].

Edible Uses

The seeds are a source of coffee[]. They have a higher content of caffeine than any other member of this genus[]. Considered to be lower quality than Coffea arabica, it is often used in cheap coffee blends and in the manufacture of instant coffee[, ].

The fully formed, but unripe, fruits are boiled whole with herbs, then dried in the sun and used as a masticatory[].

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[].

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, selectively inhibiting germination of seeds of Amaranthus spinosus[].

The pulp and parchment are used as manure and mulches[].

Propagation

Propagation is usually by seed. 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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