| Coffea racemosa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coffea racemosa berries | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Genus: | Coffea |
| Species: | C. racemosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Coffea racemosa Lour. (1790) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Coffea ramosaJ. J. Roemer & J. A. Schultes (1819) | |
Coffea racemosa, also known asracemosa coffee andInhambane coffee, is aspecies offlowering plant in thefamilyRubiaceae.[2][3] It has naturallylow levels of caffeine, less than half of that found inCoffea arabica, and a quarter of that inRobusta coffee.
Coffea racemosa is endemic to the coastal forest belt between northernKwaZulu-Natal inSouth Africa andMozambique, found in an area less than 150 km2 (58 sq mi) in size.[4] It was widely cultivated by the Portuguese during the 1960–1970s inMozambique; currently there are only two plantations, atIbo Island and inHluhluwe, which remain.[5]
Coffea racemosa is an open-branchedshrub or small tree growing up to 3.5 m (11 ft) tall. It has white to pinkish singular flowers (2 cm (1 in) indiameter) or in few-flowered clusters along the branches, which bloom between September and February.[6] The fruit is near-spherical in shape and purple to black when ripe. The fruit is harvested from the wild for local use as a coffee. The beans are one third of the size ofArabica beans. The beans are roasted and ground to a powder then used to makecoffee. Salt is sometimes sprinkled over them as they are roasted.[7][8]
