Jun 22 2009
Coffee Plant
Coffee Berries on the Tree
The coffee plant is a shrub or small tree in the family Rubiaceae and is native to Southern Asia and Subtropical Africa. The flowering plant produces coffee cherries, also known as coffee berries, most of which which have two coffee seeds inside each one. Around five to ten percent of coffee cherries contain only one seed and this is called a “peaberry” and is usually discarded or sold separately. The coffee seeds are what we call “coffee beans,” even though they are not really beans at all. It is with these coffee seeds that we make the popular drink coffee.
The coffee plant grows to be approximately 10-12 feet tall but has been known to reach 17 feet tall and does not start producing fruit until the plant is anywhere from three to six years old. The plant will typically produce fruit for 50-60 years but has been known to produce fruit for up to 100 years.
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