FNPS Plant Database

Psychotria nervosa

shiny-leaf wild-coffee, wild coffee
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

shiny-leaf wild-coffee, wild coffee

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Psychotria nervosa

Family:

Rubiaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

2.0 to 6.0 ft tall by 1.5 to 3.0 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

red,green,brown

Phenology:

Evergreen. Blooms and fruits year round except during cold or drought.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Small specimen plant, foundation planting, general cover plant in shaded areas.

Considerations:

Wild Coffee does not like constant full sun.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

Readily self-seeds, seeds can be collect from fruit and should be planted after last frost in cold areas.

Light:

Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam, Lime Rock

Soil pH:

6.1 to 7.5

Suitable to Grow In:

9A,9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Birds

Nectar plant for atala ( Eumaeus atala ), great southern white ( Ascia monuste ), julia ( Dryas iulia ), Schaus' swallowtail ( Heraclides aristodemus ), and other butterflies. 





Attracts pollinators including a variety of bees and wasps, flies, and beetles.

Birds like the fruit.

Native Habitats:

Dry mesic to xeric hammock, high areas in swamps, coastal shell mounds, pine flatwoods.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

This is not a coffee substitute (Pinkley 1969; Austin 2004). Its common name is may be a reference to some visual similarity to coffee

General Comments:

Sensitize to cold weather.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Gilman, E., Ryan W. Klein, and Gail Hansen (2024). Psychotria nervosa , Wild Coffee (FPS494). ( https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP494 ). Accessed 2026. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville.


Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. (1999). Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.


Huegel, Craig N. (2010). Native Plant Landscaping for Florida Wildlife. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Inskeep, Ryan Robert. (2017). Critters on the Wild Coffee, Psychotria nervosa [in] Florida Native Garden (blog post). ( https://floridanativegarden.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/critters-on-the-wild-coffee-psychotria-nervosa/ ). Accessed 2026.

Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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