Coffee – Coffea arabica

Plant family: Rubiaceae

Plant origin: Ethiopia and in Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula.

Fruit description: Each flower produces a small dark green berry called a “cherry”, which turns red when it is ripe. The ripe fruit is sweet when eaten fresh. Each berry has two seeds inside, these are coffee “beans”.

Flowers: Coffee flowers are creamy white, sweetly fragrant and are produced in masses in late Summer.

Growing conditions: Coffee is a pretty evergreen shrub. The leaves are dark green and glossy. The fruit is prolific and an attractive red. Coffee bushes grow to 2.5 metres in height, and are moderately frost tolerant. Coffee grows well in a pot and is a lovely specimen plant. It is a very decorative plant as well as producing a crop. It makes a beautiful hedge. Coffee likes to grow in light rich soil, in a humid, warm climate with plenty of water. They must be sheltered from strong wind. They can be grown in shade. The shrub is usually pruned to make picking the ripe berries easier.

Uses: Coffee contains caffeine and is used to make a strong, stimulating drink. The Arabica bean is full flavoured and rich in taste. It is easy to process. Dry, roast to desired aroma and flavour. The roasted beans can be ground for use.

Medicinal uses:

Pollination requirements: Self-Pollinating

Harvest time The berries are ripe when they are red. This occurs in Winter and Spring. Different berries ripen at different times so they are best picked by hand. Green berries do not make good coffee.

Plant relatives

Special features:

Grown by method: Seed Grown Pot size: 125mm

Plant growing Height and Width for pots or in the ground planting: Grows to 2 metres high by 1.5 metres wide if Planted in a Pot. Grows 2.5 metres high by 2 metres wide if Planted in the Ground.

Shipping plant pot or planter bag size: 125mm