408
Coffea arabica L.
Synonym
|
:
|
Coffea arabica var. amarella
|
Family
|
:
|
Rubiaceae
|
Local name
|
:
|
English- Coffee
Malayalam- Kappi
|
Flowering and fruiting
period
|
:
|
March-December
|
Distribution
|
:
|
Native
of Africa; introduced into the East early
|
Distribution in Kerala
|
:
|
All
Districts
|
Habitat
|
:
|
Cultivated
|
Endemic/Exotic
|
:
|
Exotic
|
Uses
|
:
|
Widely
used as a flavoring, as in ice
cream, pastries, candies, and liqueurs. Source of caffeine, dried ripe
seeds are used as a stimulant,
nervine, and diuretic,
acting on central nervous system, kidneys, heart, and muscles. Indonesians
and Malaysians prepare an infusion from dried leaves.
|
Key botanical
characters:
Glabrous
shrubs to small trees. Leaves simple, opposite, 12-18 cm long, oblong,
acuminate, narrowed into short petiole; main lateral nerves 6-10 pairs,
joined by intramarginal veins and slender parallel reticulate veins. Flowers
fragrant, numerous, borne in axillary fascicles. Corolla funnel-shaped, lobes
oblong and as long as the tube. Fruit small, fleshy, berry, dark purple when ripe.  |
||
