Coffea arabica - Coffee Bush - 10 seeds
Coffea arabica, commonly known as the Coffee bush, is an attractive shrubby evergreen to 5m in height. Despite its name, C. arabica originated in Ethiopia, where it grows at elevations between 1,375 to 1,830m. It is believed to have been introduced into Arabia prior to the 15th century.
It was first planted in Java in 1690, and in the early 18th century was carried to Surinam, Martinique, and Jamaica. Cultivation soon spread throughout the West Indies and Central America and favorable regions of South America. Later, it reached India and Sri Lanka and today, nearly 90% of the world's coffee comes from this species!
Technically it is an evergreen, glabrous shrub or small tree, up to 5m tall when unpruned. The leaves opposite, dark green, glossy, elliptical, acuminate-tipped, short-petioled, 5-20cm long, 1.5-7.5cm broad, usually 10-15cm long and 6cm broad. Flowers are 1cm in length, white, fragrant and borne in axillary clusters in the summer. Fruit is a drupe, about 1.5cm long, oval-elliptic, green when immature, ripening yellow and then crimson, finally turning black upon drying.
Coffea arabica is suitable for tropical to warm temperature climates and grows best in rich, fertile, moist but free draining soils in a warm sunny position in climates where the temperatures do not fall below 5°C but it can be grown as an indoor foliage plant to 75cm in cooler climates. It will grow to some 5m in height and 2m in width but is normally pruned to a height of 2.5m.
10 premium quality seeds shipped on receipt of cleared funds.