Common Name: Highland Coffee

General Information

Highland coffee is an evergreen, densely branched shrub or small tree growing up to 6 metres tall[].
The seeds are sometimes used as a source of coffee[]. Said to be a superior form, the plant is sometimes cultivated[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Western Tropical Africa - Guinea, Sierra Leone and Cote D'Ivoire.

Habitat

Found on hill tops, in gallery forest and in primary rain forest, at elevations of 200 - 700 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	6.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the humid, lowland tropics.
Prefers a well-drained fertile, neutral to slightly acid soil[].
Despite having some favourable attributes, this species has never been cultivated or tested in experimental plantings[].
Highland coffee comprises two well-defined genetic groups.
The species is used in coffee breeding programmes because of its drought resistance and immunity to leaf miners[]. Because it does not cross with the main coffee-producing species(C. arabica), a hybrid between this species and C. liberica dewevrei is used as a bridge in order to transfer leaf miner resistance[].

Edible Uses

A fairly good quality coffee can be prepared from the seeds (generally referred to as coffee beans), although reports on its flavour are contradictory[]. The coffee produced from this seed is said to be of superior quality[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

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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