Coffee Bush
Origin of name
Family: PHYLLANTHACEAE
- Breynia in honour of Jakob Breyne
Occurrence
A local, understorey plant of beach forest, monsoon forest and vine thickets.
Prefers part-shade but tolerates full sun. Grows in most soil types, but needs good drainage. May need extra water in the dry. Prune to desired shape. Good screen.
Appearance
Shrub (1-3m) with graceful, arching habit. Oblong leaves are strongly two-ranked, i.e. alternate, on opposite sides of stem. Tiny, greenish flowers lead to pea-size fruit that ripen through bright red/pink to black.
Caterpillars of Large Grass Yellow Butterfly eat the leaves. Birds eat the fruit. Flowers are pollinated by leafflower moths – these also lay eggs in flower ovaries, and growing larvae eat some of the developing seeds.
Image coming soon