st in the
tropics, it can stand low temperatures. It requires shade when it grows
in hot, low-lying districts; but when it grows on elevated land, it
thrives without such protection. Freeman[94] says there are about eight
recognized species of _coffea_.

[Illustration: DETAILS OF THE GERMINATION OF THE COFFEE PLANT

From a drawing by Ch. Emonts in Jardin's _Le Cafeier et Le Cafe_]

_Coffea Arabica_

_Coffea arabica_ is a shrub with evergreen leaves, and reaches a height
of fourteen to twenty feet when fully grown. The shrub produces
dimorphic branches, _i.e._, branches of two forms, known as uprights and
laterals. When young, the plants have a main stem, the upright, which,
however, eventually sends out side shoots, the laterals. The laterals
may send out other laterals, known as secondary laterals; but no lateral
can ever produce an upright. The laterals are produced in pairs and are
opposite, the pairs being borne in whorls around the stem. The laterals
are produced only while the joint of the upright, to which they are
attached, is young; and if they are broken off at that point, the
upright has no power to reproduce them. The upright can produce new
uprights also; but if an upright is cut off, the laterals at that
position tend to thicken up. This is very desirable, as the laterals
produce the flowers, which seldom appear on the uprights. This fact is
utilized in pruning the coffee tree, the uprights being cut back, the
laterals then becoming more productive. Planters generally keep their
trees pruned down to about six feet.

The leaves are lanceolate, or lance-shaped, being borne in pairs
opposite each other. They are three to six inches in length, with an
acuminate apex, somewhat attenuate at the base, with very short petioles
which are united with the short interpetiolar stipules at the base. The
coffee leaves are thin, but of firm texture, slightly coriaceous. They
are very dark green on the upper surface, but much lighter underneath.
The margin of the leaf is entire and wavy. In some tropical countries
the natives brew a coffee tea from the leaves of the coffee tree.

[Illustration: BRAZIL COFFEE PLANTATION IN FLOWER]

The coffee flowers are small, white, and very fragrant, having a
delicate characteristic odor. They are borne in the axils of the leaves
in clusters, and several crops are produced in one season, depending on
the conditions of heat and moisture that prevail in the particular
season. The