Coffea racemosa Lour.

Rubiaceae, D.M.Bridson & B.Verdcourt. Flora Zambesiaca 5:3. 2003

Morphology General Habit

Shrub 1–3.5 m tall; young branches puberulous, with light brown bark.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves deciduous, borne on young or less often mature stems or on short spurs; blades 2.2–7 × 1–3.4 cm, narrowly elliptic to broadly elliptic in shape, obtuse at the apex or rarely subacuminate, acute at the base, papery to subcoriaceous, usually slightly shiny above, with cellular pattern usually visible (with ×10 lens) on the surface, midrib prominent above, lateral and tertiary nerves apparent or somewhat obscure on both surfaces, marginal nerves apparent on lower surface only; lateral nerves in 4–6 main pairs; domatia with cavities incompletely or completely defined, sparsely pubescent to pubescent or occasionally absent; petiole 1–2.5 mm long; stipules 1.75–3.5 mm long altogether, triangular at the base, aristate above.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers 5–9(12)-merous, precocious or sometimes occurring with the leaves; 1(2) single-flowered inflorescences per axil or very occasionally with 2–3 flowers in a fascicled inflorescence; inflorescence stalks often covered with sticky exudate, 1–5 mm long, hidden by cupules or exposed; cupules 2–3, overlapping or not, with short foliar lobes; bracteolar cupule often present, ± truncate but deeply divided; bractlets scale-like, often numerous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx limb shorter than or ± equalling the disk, repand to denticulate.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla tube 6–12 mm long, 2–4 mm wide at top; lobes 6–13 × 2–7 mm, rounded.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit purplish to black when mature (or red fide Palmer & Pitman loc. cit. supr.), 9–11 × 6 mm; whole stalks lengthening to 4–7 mm long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed fawn-coloured, 5–7 × 3–4 mm.