ASPECTOS GERAIS DA FAMÍLIA RUBIACEAE E APLICABILIDADE DO GÊNERO Coffea

Abstract

Currently the Rubiaceae family has approximately thirteen thousand species. They are of varied habits, they present the foliage simple and opposite crosses. Most of the species are found in South America, whereas in the tropical region there is a greater representation of shrubs and small trees. The Rubiaceae family has significant economic importance due to some species. One of them is of the genus Coffea, one of the most consumed drinks in the world and mainly in Brazil, popularly known as coffee. Coffea arabica was brought to Brazil in 1727, in the state of Pará, by Sergeant Francisco de Mello Palheta, but it was only in the southeast that the culture became widespread becoming one of the main products of the Brazilian economy. In the Amazon it returned centuries later, reaching more success in the state of Rondônia where it passes each year by an evolution. Coffee is not only used as a beverage, but also in foods, cosmetics and medicine. This article aims to demonstrate the importance of this plant of the family Rubiaceae for both economics and the various utilities that it possesses.
Keywords: Coffea arabica, Coffea canephora, Amazon.