Kafi / Arabian Coffee
Coffea arabica
Also known as Coffee
- Habit
- Shrub
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala & more
- Flowering
- March-December
How to identify Kafi
Identify Kafi by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a shrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Cultivated for coffee beans (Arabica coffee).
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Opposite.
- Confirm leaf type: Simple.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- Confirm fruit type: Drupe.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: March-December.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Coffea arabica
- Genus
- Coffea
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Habit
- Shrub
- Habitat
- Cultivated
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Ethiopia
- Distribution
- Cultivated in most parts of Tropics
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Puducherry, Telangana
- Flowering & fruiting
- March-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- OppositerecordedTwo leaves arise from the stem at the same point, facing each other.“the leaves are opposite, simple elliptic-ovate to oblong, 6–12 cm (2.5–4.5 in) long and 4–8 cm (1.5–3 in) broad, glossy dark green, with prominent veins and wavy margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf type
- SimplerecordedA single, undivided leaf blade.“the leaves are opposite, simple elliptic-ovate to oblong, 6–12 cm (2.5–4.5 in) long and 4–8 cm (1.5–3 in) broad, glossy dark green, with prominent veins and wavy margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“the leaves are opposite, simple elliptic-ovate to oblong, 6–12 cm (2.5–4.5 in) long and 4–8 cm (1.5–3 in) broad, glossy dark green, with prominent veins and wavy margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- UndulaterecordedA wavy, rippled edge.“the leaves are opposite, simple elliptic-ovate to oblong, 6–12 cm (2.5–4.5 in) long and 4–8 cm (1.5–3 in) broad, glossy dark green, with prominent veins and wavy margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kafi itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
- Fruit type
- DruperecordedA fleshy fruit with a single hard stone/pit enclosing the seed.“The fruit is a drupe (commonly called a "cherry") 10–15 mm in diameter, maturing bright red to purple and typically containing two seeds each which become coffee beans.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kafi itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- काफ़ी Kafi
- Tamil
- Kappi, Capie cottay
- Telugu
- Chaabe
- Kannada
- ಬುಂದು, ಬೂಂದು Bundu, Tulu: ಬುನ್ನು Bunnu
- Malayalam
- Kappi, കാപ്പിചെടി, കോഫി അറബിക
- Marathi
- Kaphe
- Sinhala
- ඇරබිකා කෝපි
About Kafi
Arabian Coffee (Coffea arabica) is a shrub in the Rubiaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and 9 other states. It is cultivated. Flowering and fruiting run from March to December.
Uses
Locally it is planted as an ornamental.
In culture
It carries a body of folklore around it.
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Kafi belongs to the Rubiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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