Because researchers used gene sequencing instead of guesswork, they’ve split the old Coffea liberica group into three separate species: true liberica, excelsa (now called Coffea dewevrei), and a newly named species, Coffea klainei. The study read 353 nuclear genes from 55 plants and found clear splits in the Coffea lineage, proving species differentiation based on DNA. The new species don’t grow in the same places.
Gene sequencing splits the old liberica trio—true liberica, dewevrei excelsa, and klaineieach—keeping separate territories.
Wild liberica lives in warmer lowland zones, excelsa prefers slightly cooler mid-elevation sites, and klainei holds smaller pockets in between. Maps show no overlap, a clue that nature is keeping them apart.
All three stay inside the coffee genus Coffea, part of the big Rubiaceae plant family that also gives the world quinine. Unlike self-pollinating arabica, these three usually need pollen from a neighbor tree to set fruit. Fewer than one hundred Coffea species exist, and only a handful matter to trade. Even so, the trio now counts as separate branches on the family tree. Experts emphasize that conservation urgency has soared since the study revealed a 95% contraction in the natural ranges of all three species over the past century. Lower caffeine content in these beans may help specialty roasters market them to health-conscious drinkers seeking reduced stimulant levels.
True liberica can climb twenty meters, forcing pickers to haul ladders into the grove. Its cherries and beans are the largest among commercial coffees. Each bean has a hook at one end and a jagged groove down the middle, traits absent from arabica or robusta.
Leaves are broad and leathery. Flowers open white and bisexual, matching the pattern common in Rubiaceae.
The beans smell like jackfruit and brew into a bold, smoky cup with hints of wood and toasted nuts. Demand is tiny, making up less than one percent of global output. Most trees grow in Malaysia, the Philippines, and pockets of western Africa.
Yields dropped hard last century after disease wiped out many farms in Asia. Now specialty roasters are giving the giant bean another look for its unusual taste.
