Longan

Longan trees can produce thousands of ping-pong ball sized fruits that are eaten fresh or dried. Here is some basic information and photos of longan, the "Dragon's eye".

Scientific name: Dimocarpus longan
Family: Sapindaceae
Common names: Longan, LamYai
Origin: Southern China and Burma (but maybe also more south, south-west India and Sri Lanka)
Evergreen or deciduous: Evergreen
Flowers: Pale yellow flowers on upright terminal panicles.
Leaves: Alternate leaves with 4 to 10 opposite leaflets. The shape is elliptic or lanceolate and blunt-tipped. Leaves are 10-20 cm long and 3.5-5 cm wide. They are leathery with a glossy-green color on the upper surface and grayish-green on the lower surface. New leave growth has a wine-color.
Fruits:

Round fruits with a thin, brown-colored inedible shell.
The flesh of the fruit is translucent white, soft, and juicy. It surrounds a big, black seed. That's why it is called "Dragon's Eye."

Climate and weather: Longan is a subtropical tree but it grows well in the tropics. It needs a prominent change of seasons for satisfactory flowering. A cool season of 2-3 months results in abundant flowering.
Pollination: Mainly by small insects, but also by wind.
Height: 9-12 meter (sometimes up to 20 m)
Crown size: up to 14 meter
Type of soil: Prefers rich sandy loam or moderately acid, somewhat organic, sand.
Spacing (close range) 6 x 6 meter
Spacing (wide range) 12 x 12 meter
Propagation: Mostly grown from seed.
Insect pests: The most important pest is the Longan stink bug: Tessaratoma javanica. Other pests include: Erinose mite, scales, fruit flies, aphids, stem borers, leaf eating caterpillars, flower eating caterpillars, mealy bug, fruit spotting bug, elephant beetles and fruit piercing moth.
Diseases: Relatively free of diseases. Main disease is Rosette shoot or Witches' broom
Other pests: Fruit bats or flying foxes.
Uses: Fruits are eaten fresh or dried (after peeling skin and removing the seed).

Proverbs

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Recipes

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