Arabian Coffee
Coffea arabica
Madder family (Rubiaceae)
Least concern
Out of Al Mokha
The coffee that we drink comes from Coffea arabica, native to the highlands of southwestern Ethiopia. It was over 1,000 years ago that the first beans were used to brew coffee. The coffee culture migrated to Yemen and became the country's first commercial export product via the port of Al Mokha.
In the 18th century the coffee culture spread, via the Botanical Garden in Amsterdam, all over the world. Coffee naturally grows in light shade and so for centuries the plant was cultivated in plantations mimicking the natural environment with bananas and other fruit trees and space for all kinds of animals and insects.
Subsequently there was a period of large-scale cultivation with much pesticide use but growers are now turning to more sustainable methods.
Themes
Crown jewel in the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam.
The berries each contain two beans that can be brewed, either fresh or roasted, to prepare a drink. It is one of the most valuable agricultural crops in the world.
More than 1000 years ago the first coffee was brewed from the Arabian coffee plant. The coffee culture migrated to Yemen, which later became the first commercial centre for the product, with the port of Al Mokha becoming the exporting capital. Coffee has been exported to the Middle East since the 10th century. During the 16th century people started drinking coffee in Istanbul and shortly afterwards it was introduced to Europe. The first European coffee house opened in Venice in 1642, the first Dutch coffee house in Den Hague in 1664. The first auction of coffee took place in Amsterdam in 1661.
Fragrant white flowers.
Coffee pulp and filters are used as manures and mulches for plants and occasionally fed to cattle.
Details
| Description: | Tree, shrub, up to 5 m; flowers in the dry season. |
|---|---|
| Distributions: | Southwest ethiopia |
| Habitat: | Upland, understorey, under a climate with a 2-3 month dry season to initiate flower bud development. at 1300-1800 m in altitude. |
| Hardiness: | 50 - 59 f (heated glasshouse - subtropical) |
| Flowering period: | Maart - mei |
| Flower color: | White |
| Fruiting period: | Juni - februari |
Sources
http://repository.tudelft.nl/view/MMP/uuid3A2b9133d5-7c99-48d4-b7a4-02d38e90fae9/,Purseglove, J.W. , Tropical crops Dicotyledons Longman,
http://www.123kamerplanten.com/verzorging-tips/kamerplanten-encyclopedie/coffea-arabica/