Coffee-tree

The coffee-tree is a generic term which indicates several Espèce S of plant of the kind Coffea, family of the Rubiacée S, including two, Coffea arabica and Coffea will canephora (and to a lesser extent, Coffea liberica ) are generally cultivated for their seeds giving after torrefaction the Café, a drink universally consumed today. This kind gathers more than 80 species of trees or shrubs originating in Africa or Asia.

Description

The coffee-tree of Arabia or common coffee-tree (Coffea arabica) is a small tree of less than 9 m in height, which appreciates the shade of larger trees. The persistent sheets, of a green shining, form elliptic have a petiole runs.

The white flowers, suaves, are grouped in clusters from 3 to 7 with the armpit of the sheets. Their Corolle gamopétale is in the shape of tube with 4 or 5 lobes.

The fruits are bays, called “cherries”, of color bright red or violet with maturity, whose pulp is sweetened. They contain two seeds, placed face to face, with the form characteristic of the coffee beans.

The coffee-tree robusta (Coffea will canephora) is very close to the precedent.

Principal species

Several species of the kind Coffea are specific to give drink, but Coffea arabica is appreciated. The other species - especially Coffea will canephora (robusta) - are cultivated on unsuitable grounds with the arabica. The robusta, less expensive and easier to cultivate than the arabica, is especially used for the production of instant coffee.

Coffea abeokutae P.J.S. Cramer
Coffea arabica L., the arabica
Coffea benghalensis B. Heyne ex Schult.
Coffea will canephora Pierre ex A. Froehner, the robusta
Coffea congensis A. Froehner rather close to C. will canephora
Coffea eugenioides S. Moore
Coffea humbertii J. - F. Leroy
Coffea kapakata (A. Chev.) Bridson
Coffea khasiana Hook. F.
Coffea kivuensis Lebrun
Coffea klainii Pierre ex De Wild.
Coffea liberica W. Bull ex Hiern, the Coffee-tree of Liberia
Coffea ligustroides S. Moore
Coffea macrocarpa A. Rich.
Coffea mauritiana Lam.
Coffea quillou P.J.S. Cramer
Coffea racemosa Lour.
Coffea rupestris Hiern
Coffea salvatrix Swynn. & Philipson
Coffea will sessiliflora Bridson (of which the fruits have an odor of blackcurrant)
Coffea stenophylla G. Gift
Coffea travancorensis Wight & Arn.
Coffea wightiana Wight & Arn.
Coffea zanguebariae Lour.

Distribution

The arabica is originating in the East Africa: Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya. Only species of coffee-tree cultivated until 1865, it is largely widespread in the tropical areas, in particular in Central America and South America (Brésil, Colombia).

The robusta is originating in central and Western tropical Africa: Democratic republic of Congo, Angola, Ivory Coast, Benign, Nigeria, Cameroun. It was largely introduced in America and tropical Asia.

It is Antoine de Jussieu which, in 1720, makes introduce the coffee into the the Antilles.

Culture

The common coffee-tree (arabica) prefers the tropical grounds on average altitude (200 to 2000 meters of altitude) where it finds the temperature not too high and water which is appropriate to him. Its surface of culture extends on both sides from the equator of the 28e northern degree of latitude to the 28e degree of southern latitude, but it gives the best results in the intertropical zones least hot. The coffee-tree robusta likes more heat, and rather badly supports the periods of dryness, and it grows better in low altitude in hot and wet tropical areas. The Arabusta, which is an hybrid between the arabica and the robusta is cultivated rather little. It can be cultivated in low altitude like the robusta.

One can announce that in the past Coffea liberica was also cultivated and was appreciated in certain countries. Its culture crumbled following the expansion of a disease caused by a mushroom.

The cultivated coffee-trees have many parasites and ravageurs. Most frightening is a mushroom, Hemileia vastatrix of the family of the Urédinée S, which causes the “rust” of the coffee. The robusta is more resistant to this disease than the arabica. Insects attack the sheets, the fruits and the stems of the coffee-tree.

History

In fact the Arab S have the first used the coffee as tonic drink. Its diffusion is initially related to the expansion of the Islam. Some stakes in the diffusion of the culture of the coffee-tree:

fine of XVe century: introduction of the culture of the coffee-tree to Mocha coffee (Arabia);
in 1591, the Italian botanist Prospero Alpini publishes the first description of a coffee-tree;
towards 1690: introduction of the first seedlings of coffee-trees to Java (coming from Mocha coffee) by the Dutchmen;
1710 : the botanical garden of Amsterdam receives a first seedling of Java; starting from Amsterdam, distribution of seedlings of coffee-trees in the majority of the botanical gardens of Europe;
towards 1713: introduction of the coffee-tree to Curaçao and in Dutch Guyana (Suriname) by the Dutchmen;
in 1714, introduction of coffee-trees offered to Louis XIV by the sultan of the Yemen to the island Bourbon (the Meeting);
towards 1719: introduction of the coffee-tree in French Guiana (coming from Surinam);
about 1727, introduction of the coffee-tree to the Brazil and the French West Indies (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Santo Domingo) (coming from Cayenne (French Guiana);

Economy

The world raw coffee harvest rises to 7,4 million tons approximately (FAO 2002).

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