Longan

Longan trees can produce thousands of ping-pong ball sized fruits that are eaten fresh or dried. They look a bit similar to Langsat and Longkong. Here is some basic information on longan and some photos of longan, which is also known as the "Dragon's eye".

Basic information on longan

Scientific name:	Dimocarpus longan
English:	Longan
English:	Dragon eye
English:	Dragon's eye
Dutch:	Lamyai
Dutch:	Longan
Spanish:	Longan
French:	Longane
French:	Longan
French:	Longani
German:	Longan
German:	Longan-Baum
Italian:	Longan

Family:	Sapindaceae
Order:	Sapindales

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).