Coffee Plant

Coffee Plant

Coffee is a tropical plant, which belongs to the family of Rubiaceae. It can grow to a height of 10 to 15 m at maturity, but is kept at 3 m in plantations for harvesting purposes. The shrubs remain productive for 15 to 20 years. The elliptical leaves of the coffee tree are shiny, dark green, waxy and up to 15,24 cm long. The leaves are simple, petiolate and have persistent stipules. Their underside is marked by small cavities or domatia. On the trunk and suckers, the opposite leaves are in crossed pairs, whereas on the branches they are on the same plane.

The white to pinkish flowers are very fragrant and arranged in glomerules of 3 to 16, which, in turn, are grouped together in the axils of the leaves or above the leaf scars. The flowers are ephemeral, withering a few hours after they have bloomed. Flowers occur in large bunches on old-growth wood, are generally self-fertile and will produce fruit without pollination.

The roots of the coffee tree can extend 2,0 to 2,5 m in total length. The tap roots can penetrate to a depth of 2,5 to 4 m in plantation situations.

The fruit are the essential part of coffee. The coffee fruit is oval, similar in size and shape to a small olive and turns red from green during ripening.

Coffee has been successfully produced in many parts of the world on a wide range of soils, but the ideal soil type is sandy-loam. Coffee is sensitive to water shortages and adequate well-distributed precipitation of about 1 500 mm a year should occur. Rainfall also influences flowering and coffee should therefore be produced in areas with adequate spring rains. A dry period during winter (June to August) is important for flowering.