Coffee (Robusta)
Coffea canephora

Family: Rubiaceae

What it is like

A larger tree than Arabica coffee. It is an evergreen shrub. It grows to 10 m tall and has thicker, larger leaves. It is shallow rooted with most feeding in the top 12 cm of soil. In heavy shade, trees have a more developed trunk. The leaves are 15-30 cm long by 5-15 cm wide, and rounded at the base, with wavy edges. The midrib is prominent underneath the leaf. There are 8-13 pairs of side veins. The leaf stalk is stout and 1-2 cm long. The flower clusters arise in the axils of leaves on sideways growing, fruiting branches. Normally only 3-4 buds develop in each leaf axils and 2-4 flowers develop on each flower stalk. The flowers are white and have a scent. The flowers have almost no stalk. The fruit are round and 0.8-1.5 cm long by 1.2 cm wide. The fruit are green, but turn red when ripe. They turn black and remain on the tree till harvest. 20-40 fruit can develop at each node. The seed are 7-9 mm long, and flattened on the surface which is pressed together.

There are about 40 Coffea species. In Botanical Gardens in Slovenia presumably in a hot house.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows more in the lowland tropics. It occurs naturally in rain-forests in Africa from 10°S & N of the equator and from sea level to 1,600 m altitude. In Papua New Guinea it is mostly below 550 m above sea level. It grows in areas with rainfall from 1000 to 2,500 mm per year. Temperatures in the range 18°C to 32°C are suitable. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In XTBG Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa (country/location of origin), Asia, Angola, Australia, Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, China, Congo DR, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Fiji, Gabon, Guam, Guinea, Guinée, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Nigeria, Pacific, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uganda, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa (country/location of origin), West Timor

How it is used for food

The seeds are used for coffee. They are roasted. In some places the fruit are lightly boiled then chewed.

Edible parts

Seeds - drink, fruit, spice

How it is grown

Many plants are grown from seed. They can be grafted onto other rootstock. If clonal cuttings are used, two different clones need to be planted together to ensure good pollination. Plants are spaced at 3 m by 3 m. Light shade is normally helpful. Several of the upright stems are allowed to grow, because some side branches die off.

Plants are cross pollinated. It takes 9-10 months from flowering to harvest. One harvest is made, picking dried cherries off the tree. These are then dried and hulled.

Its other names

Local names

Cafe aromatico, Cafeto Robusto, Congo coffee, Kafi, Kapeng barako, Quillow coffee

Synonyms

Coffea bukobensis A. Zimm.; Coffea canephora var. kouilouensis Pierre ex De Wild.; Coffea canephora var. sankuruensis De Wild.; Coffea robusta Linden; Coffea laurentii De Willd.; Coffea maclaudii A.Chev.;