Home

The Lychee is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to China, and now cultivated in many parts of the world. The fruit has a pleasant floral taste and is very sweet. Lychee is a medium-sized evergreen tree, reaching 10–20 m tall, bearing many small fleshy fruits that are up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long and 4 cm (1.6 in) wide. The outside of the fruit is covered by a pink-red, roughly-textured rind that is inedible but easily removed to expose a layer of sweet, translucent white flesh. Lychees are eaten in many different dessert dishes, and are especially popular in China, throughout South-East Asia, along with India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Lychee is cultivated in China, and in a narrow band through Thailand, North Vietnam, and northern India, particular Bihar which accouts for 75% of total production . South Africa and the United States (Hawaii and Florida) also have extensive production. Lychee has a very long history of cultivation, going back as far as 2000 BCE according to records in China. Cultivation began in the area of southern China, Malaysia, and northern Vietnam. Wild trees still grow in parts of southern China and on Hainan Island. There are many stories of the fruit's use as a delicacy in the Chinese Imperial Court. It was first described and introduced to the west in the late 18th century.