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Other Names: Litchi, leechee, lychie
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Related To:
[Sapindaceae] Longan, Lychee, Alupag
Main Uses:
Fruit, ornamental.
Growth Rate:
Slow to moderate.
Mature Height/Spread:
Slow spreading with a round canopy, 18-20 feet for grafted varieties, 30 feet for seedling trees. Can be pruned to keep a certain size.
Flowering/Pollination:
Panicles in late spring / early summer. Self fertile.
Tolerance:
Not tolerant of dry or salty conditions. Will show little visible signs of drying out before succumbing.
Soil/Nutrition:
Likes deep, organic, moist soils of a slight acidity. Some say to treat them like citrus, which will yield good fruiting. Mulching is especially good for this species, given its shallow root system.
Light:
Full sun.
Wind:
The trees can be strong or weak depending on the variety. "Brewster" develops big strong branches, while "Mauritius" has a significantly weaker tree structure. Seedlings will vary from one end of the spectrum to the other, but lychee wood is considered brittle in general. During a storm, one can protect the overall integrity of the tree by trimming out the interior branches. "V" shaped trees and branches seem to be especially susceptible to breakage.
Temperature:
Young trees may die from light frost. Older, established trees can withstand temperatures into the upper 20's.
Dangers:
Don't eat the seeds.
Diseases Prone:
Scale (in container plants). Drying of leaves may seem of concern, but is actually normal for this species.
Bearing Age:
Can bear in 6-8 years from seed. Much sooner from air layers and grafts.
Fruit:
Green-yellow, pink or red. Lychee ripens when the bumps on its developing skin have smoothed out, and the fruit color has developed. Lychee is a very sweet, fragrant, luscious fruit. Some varities, such as "Hak Ip" highlight an interesting and refreshing sweet/acid flavor that some people prefer over the sweet cultivars.
History/Origin:
"Lychee" is pronounced "lit-chi" in China, and "lee-chee" in English. It has a long history as a food in China, where it has been cultivated for many thousands of years.
Species Observations:
Lychees bear lightly at first, then more heavily as the years pass and trees expand gradually outward. They are very long-lived trees, with some fruiting specimens in China being more than 1000 years of age. The pointy green leaves of lychees are often partially dry and dead, and this is typical of the species. The roots are very delicate and much care will be needed not to damage them during transplanting.
Propogation:
Air layering is probably the most common method. Seedlings are also used. Soaking the seeds in room-temperature water for a few days will cause swelling and germination. Seeds can then simply be planted when casings have cracked and the white insides can be seen.
Container Culture:
Lychees have a shallow root system, and growing them in a container is not too difficult. Getting them to flower and fruit in a container may be tricky, however, seeing as this species requires a seasonal chilling period to induce flowering. If grown just for ornamental reasons, however, they make a beautiful houseplant. The variety "Emperor" is particularly suited to container culture, having the slowest and most compact growth habit of the common lychee cultivars.
Medicinal Uses:
Unknown.
Nutritional Information:
Lychees are a good source of vitamin C and potassium.
Preparation / Food:
Usually eaten fresh, often chilled. Also used in drinks and candies as a flavoring. Fruits that are dried like raisins are called "lychee nuts." Strangely, this term is often used incorrectly in the US pertaining to the fresh fruit. "Lychee nuts" are the dried fruit product, and "Lychee" is the fresh fruit.
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"Tree is in fine shape and budding! Packing was exceptional. Thank you so much!"
- Satisfied Customer 1
"WOW, Plant is 10X better than expected. Great condition. Thank you very much."
- Satisfied Customer 2
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