Coffee tree (Coffea) - live plant

• A live, rooted plant
• Tropical shrub to grow in a pot, indoors or in a greenhouse
• Packaging suited to live plants

The coffee tree belongs to the Rubiaceae, the gardenia family, which becomes obvious when it flowers: small, star-shaped white flowers, clustered in the leaf axils, with an intense fragrance very close to that of jasmine. They last only a few days.

The fruits that follow are drupes, red when ripe, called coffee cherries, each containing two seeds side by side, the famous beans.

The foliage, dark green, glossy and wavy at the edges, is decorative all year round.

It is a shade shrub. In its natural habitat, it grows under the canopy of taller trees, and direct sun scorches its leaves. Give it bright but filtered light.

It needs warmth, never below 15 °C, a rich, slightly acidic and free-draining substrate, and good air humidity. Water regularly without letting water stand, and mist while the heating is on.

A coffee tree can flower indoors after a few years, if it is well settled and repotted regularly.

Will I get coffee beans?
It is possible after several years in good conditions, but only in token quantities. The coffee tree is grown for the plant itself, its foliage and its fragrant flowers.

Should it be put in the sun?
No. It is an understorey plant: bright light but no direct sun, which scorches the foliage.

Why are the edges of the leaves turning brown?
Typically from a lack of air humidity, or from too much water at the roots. Check the drainage first, then the humidity.

What is the minimum temperature?
Do not let it drop below 15 °C. It is not hardy and quickly suffers in the cold.

Also worth exploring: our rare plants and our edible plants.