Coffee Arabica
Coffea arabica
Family: Rubiaceae
What it is like
Coffea arabica is an evergreen Shrub growing to 6 m (19ft) by 3 m (9ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 6
Where it is found
An understorey tree in high elevation humid forests .
Africa - Tropical regions in the northeast.
Conservation Status: Wild coffee is: Endangered A3b.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Angola, Arabia, Asia, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central America, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Easter Island, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia (native), Fiji, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya (native), Malawi, Marquesas, Martinique, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Norfolk Island, North Africa, North America, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Pohnpei, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Yap, Yemen, Zimbabwe.
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Coffea arabica accounts for 60% of the world's coffee production. The dried seeds ('beans') are roasted, ground, and brewed to make one of the two most popular beverages globally . Coffee is widely used as a 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 are 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 relatively neutral flavour with only a hint of bitterness . The leaves contain more caffeine than the fruit and are sometimes used as a tea substitute.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Coffee: the various substitutes that can be used instead of coffee.
Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.
Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.
Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.
Medicine
Rating: 3
The seed contains caffeine, a widely used stimulant used in proprietary painkillers to potentiate the effect of aspirin and paracetamol . It also has the stimulants theobromine and theophylline, 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, counter-irritant, 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 to 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 .
Analgesic: Relieves pain.
Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.
Antidote: Counters poisoning.
Antiemetic: Prevents vomiting.
Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.
Aromatic: Having an agreeable odour and stimulant qualities.
Bitter: Increases the appetite and stimulates digestion by acting on the mucous membranes of the mouth. Also increases the flow of bile, stimulates repair of the gut wall lining and regulates the secretion of insulin and glucogen.
Cardiotonic: A tonic for the heart.
Deodorant: Masks smells. Is this medicinal?
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.
Hypnotic: Induces sleep.
Malaria: Treats malaria - an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites spread to people through the bites of mosquitos.
Nervine: Stimulates and calms the nerves.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Other
Rating: 3
Agroforestry Uses: The plant is often intercropped with food crops, such as corn, beans or rice, during the first few years of growth. It is useful as an understorey plant, as a hedge. 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 . Coffea arabica can be grown in a large container (35L+). It will also grow as an indoor plant but is unlikely to fruit.
Cosmetic: Used to improve the physical appearence of a person.
Deodorant: A pleasant smelling plant that is used on the body to mask the human smell.
Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.
Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.
Herbicide: Plants or plant extracts that can inhibit the growth of other plants.
Houseplant: A plant grown indoors for decorative purposes.
Mulch: Used for covering the ground to conserve the nutrients in the soil.
Paper: Related to the entry for Fibre, these plants have been specifically mentioned for paper making.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Hedge: Hedge
How it is grown
Coffea arabica can be grown at elevations from 1,300 to 2,800 metres in equatorial regions, 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 . The plant can tolerate low temperatures but not frost. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range of 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 two months of less than 50mm rain facilitates uniform flowering. Heavy rain during and after harvest is not desirable . Coffea arabica prefers a position in light shade. Shading improves leaf and shoot growth but reduces root growth . Coffea arabica prefers deep friable soil on undulating land . Plants are unsuited to stiff clay or sandy soils but are considered tolerant of acid soils . It prefers a pH in the range of 5.5 - 7, tolerating 4.3 - 8.4 . Plants can begin to bear within 2 - 3 years and fully bear at the age of 6 - 8 years . The optimum yield of clean, dry coffee beans is 2- 3 tonnes/ha, 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 . Two to four years after planting, Coffea arabica produces small, white, highly fragrant flowers. The sweet fragrance resembles the sweet smell of jasmine flowers. Following the flowers, red berries appear, which are harvested for the coffee beans inside. The plant is tetraploid, and over 30 mutations have been recognized . In 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 . Inferior coffee results from picking berries too early or too late. Dwarf varieties are available.
Propagating it: 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 two months of harvesting. The older the seeds, the longer they take to germinate, and they lose viability. They can be planted with the attached parchment, but germination is quicker when removed . Seedlings can be raised in shaded nurseries, planting them into their permanent positions when they are 6 - 12 months old . Layering. Air layering. Budding. For rooting of coffee cuttings, the single leaf-bud cutting is commonly used .
Best place to grow:
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 9-11
Growth: Medium
Soil: Medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
The seeds contain chlorogenic acid, which is a known allergen.
Its other names
Local names
Arabian coffee, Cafe, Coffee (Arabian), Kafe, Kajui, Kapeng arabica, Koffie, Kohfi, Koofiy, Kopi arabika, Bunn, Mountain Coffee.
Synonyms
C. bourbonica Pharm. ex Wehmer. C. corymbulosa Bertol. C. laurifolia Salisb. C. moka Heynh. C. sundana Miq. C. vulgaris Moench.