Bahama Coffee

Why it works here

Most people know wild coffee, the glossy, deeply puckered shrub that grows all over Martin County. This is its little cousin from the Keys and Miami-Dade, and it is a better plant for a lot of spots. It stays 3 to 4 ft instead of 8 to 15, the leaves are smaller and smoother with a lighter midrib, and it handles more sun and more drought. Small white flowers come on and off all year with a spring and summer peak, bees and wasps and flies work them, and then red fruit ripens for the birds. It is not real coffee, by the way. Same family, not enough caffeine to matter. Here is the honest part. In the wild it is state listed endangered and down to a couple of spots in Miami-Dade and North Key Largo. It does not grow wild anywhere near Stuart. So when I plant one here I am planting a South Florida native outside its home range, and I would rather say that than let the "native" tag do more work than it should. It is common in the trade, all nursery grown from seed, and putting one in your yard takes nothing from the wild.

Care

Give it a spot with some shade in the afternoon, well drained soil with a little organic matter in it, and water through the first dry season. After that it is a moderate water plant, not a xeric one, so it wants a drink in a long April drought. Mulch it, compost it once a year, and prune only to shape. It is slow to moderate, so buy close to the size you want.

Common problems

Sun. Full blasting west sun will scorch it, especially in sandy fill. Give it a little afternoon relief.

Drying out. It is more drought tolerant than wild coffee, not drought proof. Mulch and an occasional deep soak in the dry season.

Scale, occasionally. One nursery mentions it, nobody at UF does, and I have not had trouble. Horticultural oil if it ever shows up.

Cold. Nobody publishes a floor for it. It comes from the Keys, so a hard Stuart freeze is a real risk. Site it under canopy or near a wall.