Coffee - Coffea
Stock photos of coffee crops (plants of the genus Coffea). Although there are some 40 species in this genus of tropical and subtropical evergreen trees and shrubs, only two are grown commercially to produce coffee beans. They are Coffea arabica, from the Horn of Africa and Coffea canephora (syn. Coffea robusta) from western Africa. Arabica coffee is more delicately flavoured than robusta and fetches a higher price, but robusta is a more vigorous plant with a heavier crop. Generally a premium is paid for arabica beans, while robusta tends to be used to produce low-grade instant coffee. Both species are attractive plants with lush, deeply veined dark green foliage and white flowers, those of Coffea arabica being pleasantly scented. Green fruits that ripen to red follow. These contain two seeds, the coffee "beans", that are then dried and roasted to produce coffee.
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