Coffee Crisis Spurs Hunt for Helpful Genes [Slide Show]
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Coffea arabica is the source of 70 percent of the world’s cultivated coffee. Forest & Kim Starr, via Wikimedia Commons
Coffea canephora, commonly called robusta, is the other cultivated coffee species. It is used mainly in lower-end products due to its bitter taste. Credit: Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India, via Wikimedia Commons
Coffea charrieriana In 2008 researchers announced their discovery of the first known naturally caffeine-free coffee species, Coffea charrieriana from Cameroon. Credit: Color photos of live plant by François Anthony; photo of preserved specimen courtesy of Piet Stoffelen.
Coffea pterocarpa, a coffee species from Madagascar identified in 2009, bears distinctive winged fruit. Credit: Kew Royal Botanical Gardens
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Coffea ambongenesis Coffee bean from Coffea ambongenis (left), another recently identified species from Madagascar, dwarfs an Arabica bean (right). Credit: RBG Kew
Coffea eugenioides Coffea arabica originated from a cross between Coffea eugenioides (above) and Coffea canephora in Ethiopia. Credit: M. Lourd, via Protabase
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