Coffea

This article is about the biology of coffee plants. For the beverage, see Coffee.

Coffea Flowering branches of Coffea arabica Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Gentianales Family: Rubiaceae Subfamily: Ixoroideae Tribe: Coffeeae Genus: Coffea L. Type species Coffea arabica L. Coffea canephora.

Coffea is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. They are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. Seeds of several species are the source of the popular beverage coffee. Coffee ranks as one of the world's most valuable and widely traded commodity crops and is an important export product of several countries. The leaves and the outer part of the fruit are also sometimes eaten.^[1]

Cultivation and use

Coffea berries, Bali

There are several species of Coffea that may be grown for the beans. The trees produce red or purple fruits called "cherries" that are drupes. The cherries contain two seeds, the so-called "coffee beans", which — despite their name — are not true beans. In about 5-10% of any crop of coffee cherries, there is only a single bean, rather than the two usually found. This is called a peaberry, which is smaller and rounder than a normal coffee bean. It is often removed from the yield and either sold separately, (as in New Guinea peaberry) or discarded.

When grown in the tropics, coffee is a vigorous bush or small tree that usually grows to a height of 3–3.5 m (10–12 feet). Most commonly cultivated coffee species grow best at high elevations but are nevertheless intolerant of subfreezing temperatures.^{[citation needed]}

The tree of Coffea arabica will grow fruits after three to five years, and will produce for about 50 to 60 years (although up to 100 years is possible^{[citation needed]}). The white flowers are highly scented. The fruit takes about nine months to ripen.

Ecology

The caffeine in coffee "beans" is a natural plant defense against herbivory, i.e. a toxic substance that protects the seeds of the plant.

Several insect pests affect coffee production, including the coffee borer beetle (Hypothenemus hampei) and the coffee leafminer (Leucoptera caffeina).

Coffee is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species, including napoleon jacutin (Dalcera abrasa), turnip moth and some members of the genus Endoclita, including E. damor and E. malabaricus.

Coffea research

In 2008 and 2009, researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew named seven species of Coffea from the mountains of northern Madagascar, including C. ambongensis, C. boinensis, C. labatii, C. pterocarpa, C. bissetiae, and C. namorokensis.^[2]

In 2008, two new species of coffee plants have been discovered in Cameroon: Coffea charrieriana, which is caffeine-free, and Coffea anthonyi.^[3] By crossing the new species with other known coffees, two new features might be introduced to cultivated coffee plants: beans without caffeine and self-pollination.

Species

Coffea abbayesii J.-F.Leroy Coffea affinis De Wild. Coffea alleizettii Dubard Coffea ambanjensis J.-F.Leroy Coffea ambongenis J.-F.Leroy ex A.P.Davis Coffea andrambovatensis J.-F.Leroy Coffea ankaranensis J.-F.Leroy ex A.P.Davis Coffea anthonyi Stoff. & F.Anthony Coffea arabica L. Coffea arenesiana J.-F.Leroy Coffea augagneurii Dubard Coffea bakossii Cheek & Bridson Coffea benghalensis B.Heyne ex Schult. Coffea bertrandii A.Chev. Coffea betamponensis Portères & J.-F.Leroy Coffea bissetiae A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea boinensis A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea boiviniana A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea bonnieri Dubard Coffea brassii (J.-F.Leroy) A.P.Davis Coffea brevipes Hiern Coffea bridsoniae A.P.Davis & Mvungi Coffea buxifolia A.Chev. Coffea canephora Pierre ex A.Froehner Coffea carrissoi A.Chev. Coffea charrieriana Stoff. & F.Anthony Coffea cochinchinensis Pierre ex Pit. Coffea commersoniana (Baill.) A.Chev. Coffea congensis A.Froehner Coffea costatifructa Bridson Coffea coursiana J.-F.Leroy Coffea dactylifera Robbr. & Stoff. Coffea decaryana J.-F.Leroy Coffea dubardii Jum. Coffea ebracteolata (Hiern) Brenan Coffea eugenioides S.Moore Coffea fadenii Bridson Coffea farafanganensis J.-F.Leroy Coffea floresiana Boerl. Coffea fotsoana Stoff. & Sonké Coffea fragilis J.-F.Leroy Coffea fragrans Wall. ex Hook.f.

Coffea gallienii Dubard Coffea grevei Drake ex A.Chev. Coffea heimii J.-F.Leroy Coffea x heterocalyx Stoff. Coffea homollei J.-F.Leroy Coffea horsfieldiana Miq. Coffea humbertii J.-F.Leroy Coffea humblotiana Baill. Coffea humilis A.Chev. Coffea jumellei J.-F.Leroy Coffea kapakata (A.Chev.) Bridson Coffea kianjavatensis J.-F.Leroy Coffea kihansiensis A.P.Davis & Mvungi Coffea kimbozensis Bridson Coffea kivuensis Lebrun Coffea labatii A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea lancifolia A.Chev. Coffea lebruniana Germ. & Kester Coffea leonimontana Stoff. Coffea leroyi A.P.Davis Coffea liaudii J.-F.Leroy ex A.P.Davis Coffea liberica Hiern Coffea ligustroides S.Moore Coffea littoralis A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea lulandoensis Bridson Coffea mabesae (Elmer) J.-F.Leroy Coffea macrocarpa A.Rich. Coffea madurensis Teijsm. & Binn. ex Koord. Coffea magnistipula Stoff. & Robbr. Coffea malabarica (Sivar., Biju & P.Mathew) A.P.Davis Coffea mangoroensis Portères Coffea manombensis A.P.Davis Coffea mapiana Sonké Coffea mauritiana Lam. Coffea mayombensis A.Chev. Coffea mcphersonii A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea melanocarpa Welw. ex Hiern Coffea merguensis Ridl. Coffea millotii J.-F.Leroy Coffea minutiflora A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea mogenetii Dubard Coffea mongensis Bridson

Coffea montekupensis Stoff. Coffea montis-sacri A.P.Davis Coffea moratii J.-F.Leroy ex A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea mufindiensis Hutch. ex Bridson Coffea myrtifolia (A.Rich. ex DC.) J.-F.Leroy Coffea namorokensis A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea neobridsoniae A.P.Davis Coffea neoleroya A.P.Davis Coffea perrieri Drake ex Jum. Coffea pervilleana (Baill.) Drake Coffea pocsii Bridson Coffea pseudozanguebariae Bridson Coffea pterocarpa A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea racemosa Lour. Coffea rakotonasoloi A.P.Davis Coffea ratsimamangae J.-F.Leroy ex A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea resinosa (Hook.f.) Radlk. Coffea rhamnifolia (Chiov.) Bridson Coffea richardii J.-F.Leroy Coffea sahafaryensis J.-F.Leroy Coffea sakarahae J.-F.Leroy Coffea salvatrix Swynn. & Philipson Coffea sambavensis J.-F.Leroy ex A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea sapinii (De Wild.) A.P.Davis Coffea schliebenii Bridson Coffea semsei (Bridson) A.P.Davis Coffea sessiliflora Bridson Coffea stenophylla G.Don Coffea tetragona Jum. & H.Perrier Coffea togoensis A.Chev. Coffea toshii A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea travancorensis Wight & Arn. Coffea tricalysioides J.-F.Leroy Coffea tsirananae J.-F.Leroy Coffea vatovavyensis J.-F.Leroy Coffea vavateninensis J.-F.Leroy Coffea vianneyi J.-F.Leroy Coffea vohemarensis A.P.Davis & Rakotonas. Coffea wightiana Wall. ex Wight & Arn. Coffea zanguebariae Lour.

References

1. ^ Ever Eat A Coffee Cherry?
2. ^ "Seven species of wild coffee amongst Kew's haul of new discoveries." Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 22 December 2009. [1]
3. ^ Stoffelen P, Noirot M, Couturon E, Anthony F. 2008. "A new caffeine-free coffee from Cameroon." Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 158: 67-72. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2007.00742.x

External links

• World Checklist of Rubiaceae
• Coffee & Conservation