Meet the Wild Coffee Plant
Wild Coffee | Psychotria nervosa
How do you know it’s me?:
I am a woody evergreen shrub.
My shiny dark green leaves are fairly unique, with prominent veins and “puckering” of the leaf tissue between veins.
Leaves will show yellowing when planted in full sun.
My leaves are opposite and oval-shaped, coming to a sharp point at the ends.
I have clusters of small white flowers at or near the ends of my stems.
These flowers are replaced by small red, oval berries that resemble a coffee bean.
I grow as a small to medium woody shrub, with a rounded or spreading form.
I can have fine hairs on my stems and undersides of my leaves.
How big do I grow?: 2’ - 6’ tall and 1.5’ - 3’ wide.
Sun-seeker or shade-lover: Part shade to full shade.
Where I prefer to put my roots: Medium-moisture soil is where I thrive. I can handle occasional inundation as well as short periods of drought.
Hardiness: Zone 9-11
Original home: I am native to central and south Florida into Central and South America.
Colors: My greenish-white flowers give way to bundles of red berries. My leaves are a glossy evergreen.
When I bloom: Spring and summer blooms and winter to spring berries.
Wildlife friends: A variety of pollinators (moths, butterflies, flies, and bees…including the rare Atala butterfly) are drawn by my flower nectar. My berries attract birds.
Flora Fun Facts: My name is a reference to my resemblance to the true coffee plant. However, I am not actually a coffee substitute. My berries are edible, but have a bland taste and do not contain caffeine. I am in the same family as true coffee - the Rubiaceae family.
More Info: While its delicate white flowers and glossy berries are eye-catching to a variety of wildlife - Wild Coffee is a fairly inconspicuous native shrub. Look carefully on your next walk around a (Florida) wildlife preserve, you may see its glossy leaves poking out from under the palmettos. The prominent veins and textured leaves are key identification features.
Great small shrub for a shady garden area or a native plant garden.
Self-seeds and can easily spread.
Shrub will stay smaller when planted in full sun.
Responds well to pruning.
