Native coffee plant

Has anyone had experience with wild coffee, Triosteum aurantiacum. It's just the common name but I was wondering if it is just a story or the settlers really used the fruit as coffee?

I found quite a few references to it being used as a substitute for coffee but looks as if that may have been by the early settlers while the "Native Americans used the root as a purgative and to treat fevers. It was also applied to sores and swellings. In sufficient doses it is cathartic (powerful laxative) and emetic (induces vomiting)".
That's straight from this website- http://www.2bnthewild.com/plants/H44.htm

Neat looking plant. I don't think I've ever seen one around me. I found these sites that have some photos too-
http://www.epa.gov/greenacres/plants/latehorse.html
http://ontariowildflowers.com/main/species.php?id=91
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/triosteumperf.html

No experience with this plant but after reading about it, I'd like to try growing it. Looks as if the plant likes shade. I've got a lot of shade over here. Glad you posted a photo of your plants.

I've read most of that but I'm wondering, did the very early settlers really drink coffee?

I'm not all that great in history but I seem to recall that coffee was actually more common amongst European settlers than tea... save the settlers that came from the UK. Those were the tea drinkers. I don't think tea ever caught on over here like it did over there and with the heavy taxes imposed back then, I'm sure that sealed the fate of tea. I'll go poke around for a link. Might be able to pull something up regarding this. Be back.

Bingo. Fifth link when searching-
http://www.make-great-coffee.com/coffee_history.htm

The colonists and the early settlers really did drink coffee.