Synonyms:

• (=) Coffea bukobensis A. Zimm.
• (=) Coffea canephora var. gossweileri A. Chev.
• (=) Coffea canephora var. kouilouensis Pierre ex De Wild.
• (=) Coffea canephora var. laurentii (De Wild.) A. Chev.
• (=) Coffea canephora var. sankuruensis De Wild.
• (=) Coffea canephora var. ugandae (P. J. S. Cramer) A. Chev.
• (=) Coffea laurentii De Wild.
• (=) Coffea quillon Wester, nom. nud.
• (=) Coffea robusta L. Linden
• (=) Coffea ugandae P. J. S. Cramer

Common names:

• Congo coffeetree  (Source: Dict Rehm) - English
• robusta coffee  (Source: World Econ Pl) - English
• caféier robuste  (Source: Dict Rehm) - French
• Robustakaffeebaum  (Source: Dict Rehm) - German
• Robustakaffeestrauch  (Source: Zander ed17) - German
• café-robusta  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Portuguese
• café  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
• cafeiro  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
• cafeto robusto  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Spanish

Economic Importance:

• Food additives: flavoring (fide Ency CNatIn; Pl Res SEAs 16:66. 2000)
• Human food: beverage base (fide Ency CNatIn; Pl Res SEAs 16:66. 2000)
• Gene sources: disease resistance for arabica coffee (fide Wild Crop Rel Pl Orn 41. 2011)
• Gene sources: graft stock relative for arabica coffee (fide Brazil J Pl Physiol 18:234. 2006)
• Gene sources: pest resistance for arabica coffee (fide Pl Pathol 52:101. 2003)
• Gene sources: primary genetic relative of robusta coffee (fide Genome Map Mol Breed 6:109-118. 2007)
• Gene sources: secondary genetic relative of arabica coffee (based on breeding barriers with Coffea arabica, although spontaneous hybridization can occur ("Timor") fide Brazil J Pl Physiol 18:233. 2006)
• Medicines: folklore (fide Herbs Commerce ed2; Pl Res SEAs 16:66. 2000)
• Social: stimulant (fide Pl Res SEAs 16:66. 2000)

Distributional Range:

Native

Africa

• NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Sudan
• EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Tanzania (n.), Uganda
• WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Zaire
• WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria
• SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola


Cultivated (also cult.)

Naturalized (natzd. elsewhere)

References:

1. Erhardt, W. et al. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage. 2002 (Zander ed17)
2. Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. (pers. comm.)
3. Leroy, T. et al. 2006. Genetics of coffee quality Brazil. J. Pl. Physiol. 18:229-242.
4. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000 (Herbs Commerce ed2)
5. Noir, S. et al. 2003. Identification of a major gene (Mex-1) from Coffea canephora conferring resistance to Meloidogyne exigua in Coffea arabica Pl. Pathol. 52:97-103.
6. Rehm, S. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. 1994 (Dict Rehm)
7. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. Flora of tropical East Africa. 1952- (F TE Afr)
8. Vossen, H. A. M. van der & M. Wessel, eds. 2000. Stimulants (Pl Res SEAs) 16:66.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Taxonomy).
National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://germoplasma.iniaf.gob.bo/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=11092. Accessed 7 junio 2026.