A tropical evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus Coffea (Rubiaceae), a native of northeast Africa and adjacent southwest Asia. The beverage known as coffee is made by the hot-water extraction of solubles from the ground roasted beans (seeds) of the shrub. Coffea grows mainly between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn at elevations of 2000–6000 ft (600–1800 m) above sea level, at temperatures near 70°F (21°C), and with annual rains near 60 in. (150 cm).