A native wild shrub that has worked its way into the nursery trade – and our hearts – is the wild coffee. While it is a plant native to Florida, it is not coffee. However, it is an attractive shrub resembling the gardenia, a close relative. Popular in native landscapes for attracting wildlife, wild coffee, listed as a Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ plant, should also have a place in every garden design.
Wild coffee is a common resident in natural areas in many parts of Charlotte County. During a recent stroll through some woods near my office, I found many pockets and colonies of this plant well established and thriving in the dappled shade. At a glance, the wild coffee does indeed look like a gardenia in consideration of its leaves. The six-inch long, evergreen leaves are shiny and dark green with very deep veins. The small white flowers develop in clusters followed by small fruits that eventually turn bright red. These fruits are favored by wildlife such as birds. Keep in mind that although the scarlet fruits look similar to real coffee berries, they are not edible. The shrub grows as a multiple-stemmed woody plant reaching four to ten feet tall with a spread of four to eight feet wide with a dense, rounded growth habit. Heavy shade plantings will develop a more open specimen resembling a small tree. More sun will develop a compact plant, but some leaf yellowing may result. A planting site of moderate shade on the north side of your yard will provide the optimal growing conditions of part sun/part shade to shade. Although wild coffee can be pruned to the shape you want, it really will not need much if any pruning. If you want to develop a hedge, plant them about four feet apart on center for best results. Plant wild coffee at least four feet from foundations as well. One common cultivar of wild coffee called ‘Little Psycho’™ can be found in the plant trade. This selected cultivar rarely gets over two and one-half feet tall and wide and stays small by nature.
Being moderate in drought tolerance, wild coffee will often wilt during the dry season without supplemental watering but will usually come back quickly with rain or irrigation. This shrub will on occasion get insect pests such as scale insects – green scales, croton scales and wax scales. These can be treated with horticultural oil (not in the heat of day as the leaves can burn) or insecticidal soap as per label directions.
In addition to seeds started as a result of bird activity, you can start your own plants from seeds. The seedlings are reported to transplant well. I started mine from cuttings which rooted fairly quickly and are now in my landscape. Commercially, the cultivar mentioned above, ‘Little Psycho’™, is now tissue cultured.
I once saw a collection of wild coffee plants found in the wild from across Florida at a Research and Education Center. There was so much variation including very upright selections, dwarf types, different leaf characteristics, and even a variegated form. You may find a few wild coffee specimens at local garden centers or check regional native plant nurseries for greater availability. As wild coffee becomes more mainstream, selected cultivars may be more available on the market. Check this “wild” plant out for your landscape today! For more information on all types of shrubs – both native and non-native – suited for our area, or to ask a question, you can also call the Master Gardener Volunteer Helpdesk on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer. Ralph E. Mitchell is the Director/Horticulture Agent for UF/IFAS Extension Charlotte County. He can be reached at 941-764-4344 or ralph.mitchell@charlottecountyfl.gov. Connect with us on social media. Like us on Facebook @CharlotteCountyExtension and follow us on Instagram @ifascharco.
Resources:
Brown, S. H. (2011) Psychotria nervosa. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS – Lee County.
Gilman, G. F., Klein, R. W. & Hansen, G. (2023) Psychotria nervosa – Wild Coffee. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS.
UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions (2024) Wild Coffee. The University of Florida Extension Services, IFAS.
The Florida-Friendly Landscaping Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design (2022) The University of Florida Extension Services, IFAS.
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