Lychee or litchi trees produce their tasty fruits during a very short period each year, but canned fruits can be enjoyed throughout the year. This page provides some basic information on lychee, some lychee photos, and some proverbs about lychee.
| Scientific name: | Litchi chinensis |
| Synonym: | Nephelium litchi |
| English: | Lychee |
| English: | Litchi |
| English: | Laichi |
| English: | Linchee |
| English: | Lichu |
| Dutch: | Lychee |
| Spanish: | Lichi |
| French: | Litchi |
| French: | Letchi |
| German: | Litschibaum |
| German: | Litchibaum |
| German: | Litschi |
| German: | Litsch |
| German: | Lychee |
| German: | Chinesische Haselnuss |
| German: | Liebesfrucht |
| German: | Litschipflaume |
| Italian: | Litchi |
| Italian: | Ciliegia della Cina |
| Other: | Alupag |
| Family: | Sapindaceae |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Origin: | Southern China, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia |
| Distribution: | |
| Evergreen or deciduous: | Evergreen |
| Flowers: | The small flowers are greenish-white or yellowish-white and are produced in panicles of up to 30 cm long. |
| Fruits: | Lychee fruits are 3-4 cm long and about 3 cm in diameter. The fruit is covered by a red, roughly-textured skin. This peel is inedible but can be easily removed. The inside of the fruit consists of sweet, translucent white flesh surrounding a single glossy brown nut-like seed. This sweet flesh is eaten. The seed (about 2 cm long and 1–1.5 cm in diameter) is poisonous and should not be eaten.. |
| Leaves: | Lychee has alternate pinnate leathery leaves. Each leaf 15–25 cm long, with 2-8 lateral leaflets that are 5–10 cm long. Young leaves have a bright coppery red color at first. Later they turn shiny bright green. |
| Climate and weather: | Lychee is adapted to warm to cool subtropical areas. It requires seasonal temperature variations for good flowering and fruiting. A certain amount of chilling is necessary for flower bud development, but warm, humid summers are favorable for flowering and fruit development. |
| Pollination: | Bees and flies. |
| Height: | Can reach 12-15 or even 20 meter but often smaller. |
| Type of soil: | Requires a well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. |
| Preferred pH: |
pH from 5.5 to 7.5 is acceptable. Prefers soils with pH 5.5-6.5. |
| Moisture: | The tree does not tolerate standing water, but it requires a very moist soil. |
| Light: | Needs full sun. |
| Growth rate: | Slow growing tree. |
| Spacing (close range) | 6 meter |
| Spacing (wide range) | 8 meter |
| Insect pests: | Mites, scales, aphids |
| Other pests: | Birds, bats |
| Diseases: | ? |
| Fruit development: | The fruit matures 100 - 140 days after flowering. |
| Harvesting: | Fruit are harvested by hand. They must be allowed to ripen fully on the tree. Fruits can be kept in refrigerator for several weeks. The skin will get brown in color but the taste remains ok. At room temperature the fruits can be kept only few days. |
| Uses: |
No lychee recipe yet. Who helps me?
Last modified: 20 August 2010 - Copyright © 1995-2010 by Hein Bijlmakers - Contact me
