Coffee PlantWe picked up a coffee plant for Watson Building store on the weekend down at Byron Bay.
Coffee plant info ....
The trees which produce coffee are in the genus Coffea which belongs to the Rubiaceae family. There are about 50 different species although only two of these are commercially significant.
Coffee arabica - Grows on steep slopes and plateaux at altitudes of between 600 and 2000 metres.
Coffee canephora - Which is usually referred to as robusta grows well in the humid, tropical climate of the equatorial forests in altitudes from sea level to 600 metres.
A further botanical characteristic of coffee is that sometimes the blossom, green, yellow and ripe red cherries appear together on the same branch. The berries gradually change from dark green to yellow as they ripen and after several months they become deep red cherries. These cherries are about 1.5cm in length; arabica cherries are oblong while those of robusta are rounded.
Red skin covers a sweet pulp which usually contains two coffee seeds shaped rather like two half beans. These beans, each covered by a thin delicate layer called "silver skin", are encased in a this brittle husk called "parchment".
A further botanical characteristic of coffee is that sometimes the blossom, green, yellow and ripe red cherries appear together on the same branch. The berries gradually change from dark green to yellow as they ripen and after several months they become deep red cherries. These cherries are about 1.5cm in length; arabica cherries are oblong while those of robusta are rounded.
Red skin covers a sweet pulp which usually contains two coffee seeds shaped rather like two half beans. These beans, each covered by a thin delicate layer called "silver skin", are encased in a this brittle husk called "parchment".
