66 



J,\ P. IT. CollertUm. FlATE XXXI 



Coffca cirabica. 



ARADIAX COFFEE. 



The Coffee-tree is said to be a native of Abyssinia. Two 

 species, the Arabian and the LiiDerian, are now cultivated througli- 

 out the tropics. The use of coffee was known in Arabia long 

 before it was introduced to Europeans in the sixteenth centur}'. 

 The Dutch were the first to introduce the plant to Europe. The 

 Arabian Cofifee-tree is low-growing, and bears one crop annually : 

 its laves are elliptico-oblong, acinninate, generally from 3 to 6 

 inches long, and are thin and shiny. The white flowers appear 

 in clusters, and are very fragrant. The berries are ovoid, fleshy, 

 and bright red. In this berry are found the two seeds, which 

 constitute the coffee of commerce. The Coffee-tree was intro- 

 duced into Hawaii about 1823, by a Frenchman, whos established 

 a small plantation in Alanoa \'alley, Oahu. The tree is now well 

 naturalized in the woods of Kona, Hawaii, and elsewhere in the 

 Islands, and flourishes up to an elevation of from 1000 to 2000 

 feet. 



