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coffee

Coffea arabica L.

Family: Rubiaceae · Genus: Coffea

arabica coffee

Secondary I Low No biomass production 🪓 Coppices after cutting
Forest and Kim Starr · CC BY · iNaturalist

Shade-grown crop valuable in syntropic Atlantic Forest systems. Occupies the low stratum between bananas and ingás.

📚 Synonyms

Scientific synonyms: Coffea corymbulosa Bertol., Coffea vulgaris Moench, Coffea moka Heynh.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Secondary I
Ecological role
Late secondary
Primary stratum
Low
Strata
Low
Biomass class
No biomass production

Environment

Light requirement
Partial shade
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
Moderate
Waterlogging tolerance
None
Soil pH range
5–6.5
Preferred soil texture
Loamy
Hardiness zones
10–12
Frost tolerance
0.0 °C

Morphology

Mature height
2–5 m
Recommended spacing
1.5–3 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Medium
Growth rate
Moderate
Lifespan
20–40 years
Time to first harvest
36 months
Productive lifespan
25 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Coffee takes the Low stratum in the Secondary I phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

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Emergent High Medium Low · ≈5 m Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

A light-shade shrub; reaches 9–12 m in the wild but is kept to 2–3 m in cultivation to ease harvest. Requires well-drained, moist, slightly acidic soil — intolerant of waterlogging (root rot). Optimal temperature 15–24 °C; rainfall 1,200–1,800 mm/yr evenly distributed. A classic shaded low-stratum crop in Atlantic Forest agroforestry.

✂️ Management & Pruning

Tolerates pruning well; light annual pruning and renewal pruning (stumping/skeletonising) every 3–5 years, resprouting from the base. In agroforestry, partial shade reduces biennial bearing and leaf-miner incidence.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: September, October, November

Fruiting months: May, June, July, August

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of coffee?

The first harvest of coffee comes around 36 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for coffee?

The recommended spacing for coffee is 1.5–3 m.

How tall does coffee grow?

At maturity, coffee reaches 2–5 m tall.

When does coffee fruit?

Fruiting of coffee occurs in May, June, July, August.

When does coffee flower?

Flowering of coffee occurs in September, October, November.

What stage and stratum does coffee occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, coffee belongs to the secondary i stage, occupying the low stratum.

Functions

🍎 Fruit 🍯 Melliferous

Propagation

Seed, Grafting

Citations

  1. Pasini, F. (2017) in Guimarães & Mendonça (Incaper) , p. 48 (gotsch_stage, primary_stratum, light_need)
  2. Plants For A Future (PFAF) — Coffea arabica (ph_min, ph_max, hardiness_zone_min, hardiness_zone_max, light_need, waterlogging_tolerance, soil_texture_preference)
  3. Wikipedia — Coffea arabica (height_min_m, height_max_m, cultivation_notes, frost_tolerance_c)
  4. Androcioli Filho, A. & Caramori, P.H. (2000) — Influence of Coffee Pruning on the Severity of Frost Damage (Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 43:1) (frost_tolerance_c, pruning_notes)
  5. Camargo & Camargo (2001) — Definition and outline for the phenological phases of arabic coffee under Brazilian tropical conditions (Bragantia) (phenology)
  6. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Coffea arabica L. (external_ids)
  7. Wikidata — Coffea arabica (Q47685) (external_ids, synonyms)

External references

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