Coffee plant
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Middling It gives warning, with time to act.
Also called Arabian Coffee, arabica coffee and coffee.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
The sources disagree about light for this plant. Both readings are shown in the table below. This is the norm in houseplant advice rather than the exception.
- Light
The sources disagree. These do not describe the same conditions: Clemson Extension says "High light" and RHS says "Partial shade". Both are shown; this site does not pick between them.
High light 150–1000 fcClemson Extension · read 13 September 2026Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1A — warmer than 15°C 15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam; pH Acid or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- Leaf tips go crisp and brown
A narrow dry border on the coffee plant, often with a faint yellow line against the healthy tissue. It appears on several leaves at once rather than spreading from one.
Heated air holds less water than the plant loses into it, so moisture leaves the leaf faster than it arrives. Penn State Extension cites ASHRAE's indoor range of 30% to 60% relative humidity, and winter heating often takes a room below it.
Telling it apart: Where the plant stands. Browning concentrated on the side facing a heater points at the air.
Penn State ExtensionCoffee plant brown leaf tips and edges: causes- Pale dry areas across the upper leaves only
Upper surfaces lose colour while the undersides stay green, and nothing below the top of the canopy is touched.
Its source names partial shade, yet a leaf grown in lower light has thinner tissue than one grown in sun, and it scorches if moved into strong light in one step.
Telling it apart: The edge of the damage. Scorch has a sharp boundary; rot and infection have a soft, spreading one.
RHSCoffee plant leaves turning yellow: causes- The older part of the canopy yellows while the compost stays soaked
The coffee plant yellows from the base up. Affected leaves bend rather than snap, and the pot is still heavy several days after watering.
Water held around the roots for days leaves them without air, and a root without air stops working within a week. Its source describes moist but well-drained soil for good reason.
Telling it apart: Lift it from the pot. Firm pale roots mean the water is not the problem; brown soft ones that smell sour mean it is.
RHSCoffee plant leaves turning yellow: causes
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Coffee plant.
Routine care
- Watering
- In the growing season, water generously and feed fortnightly (every two weeks) with a balanced liquid feed; in winter, water moderately.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Whether grown inside or outside, feed during the growing season.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In the growing season water generously, feeding every two weeks with a balanced liquid feed; in winter water moderately.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Repotting
- In spring, repot every 2-3 years.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- SeedNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Sow seed while fresh; germination can be irregular.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Under glass, restrictive pruning may be needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by soft scale and mealybugs.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Glasshouse red spider mite can occur. Diseases: a high-risk host of Xylella fastidiosa.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Coffea arabica, also known as the Arabica coffee, is a species of flowering plant in the coffee and madder family Rubiaceae. It is believed to be the first species of coffee to have been cultivated and is the dominant cultivar, representing about 60% of global production. Coffee produced from the less acidic, more bitter, and more highly caffeinated robusta bean makes up most of the remaining coffee production. The natural populations of Coffea arabica are restricted to the forests of South Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- E. South Sudan, SW. Ethiopia, N. Kenya (Mt. Marsibit)World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Ethiopia, Sudan, KenyaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026NE trop. AfricaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- seasonally dry tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- shrub or treeWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Shrub, Tree; habit erect, multi-stemmedNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 72–180 in; width 72–180 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 4-8 metres; spread 2.5-4 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers white; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers white in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Uses
What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.
Coffee beans. The fruit can be eaten, but it is the seeds that are normally dried, roasted and ground into coffee, which contains caffeine.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Coffee plant
More of the Rubiaceae family
Plants with similar care
AvocadoDry scorched spots after a move into a sunnier spot
Chinese banyanFaded, yellow-white areas on the sunny side of the canopy
Crape myrtleCrisp margins that appear in winter
Japanese mapleDry, curled edges on leaves near a heater
Norfolk Island pineBleached patches on the side facing the glass
OliveA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Clemson Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.