iLychee
Lychee branch with ripe fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Sapindales Family: Sapindaceae Genus: Litchi Species: L. chinensis
Binomial name
Litchi chinensis Sonn.

The Lychee (Litchi chinensis), also spelled Litchi (the USA FDA spelling) or Laichi, is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family Sapindaceae. It is a tropical fruit tree native from southern China and Vietnam south to Indonesia and east to the Philippines. Local names include vải, lệ chi or 荔枝 (pinyin: lìzhī), Alupag (Philippines), lin jee (ลิ้นจี่, Thailand), and Reishi (レイシ or 茘枝, Japan). Lychees (Litchi chinensis). ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta - rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta - zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta - trimerophytes Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Orders See text. ... Families See text Sapindales is a botanical name for an order of flowering plants. ... genera See text Sapindaceae, also known as the soapberry family, is a family of plants in the order Sapindales. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Pierre Sonnerat (August 18, 1748 – March 31, 1814) was a French naturalist and explorer. ... The United States Food and Drug Administration is the government agency responsible for regulating food, dietary supplements, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, biologics and blood products in the United States. ... genera See text Sapindaceae, also known as the soapberry family, is a family of plants in the order Sapindales. ... Fruit stall in Barcelona, Spain. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... Pinyin is a system of romanization (phonemic notation and transcription to Roman script) for Standard Mandarin, where pin means spell and yin means sound. The most common variant of pinyin in use is called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n), also known as scheme...

It is a medium-sized evergreen tree, reaching 15-20 m tall, with alternate pinnate leaves, each leaf 15-25 cm long, with 2-8 lateral leaflets 5-10 cm long; the terminal leaflet is absent. The newly emerging young leaves are a bright coppery red at first, before turning green as they expand to full size. The flowers are small, greenish-white or yellowish-white, produced in panicles up to 30 cm long. A Silver Fir shoot showing three successive years of retained leaves In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant which retains its leaves year-round, with each leaf persisting for more than 12 months. ... A pinnate fern frond (Blechnum appendiculatum). ... The leaves of a Beech tree A leaf with laminar structure and pinnate venation In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ... A leaflet in botany is a part of a compound leaf. ... Clivia miniata A cluster of flowers (Clivia miniata) A flower, (<Old French flo(u)r<Latin florem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). ... White-fruited Rowan (Sorbus glabrescens) corymb; note the branched structures holding the fruits. ...

The fruit is a drupe, 3-4 cm long and 3 cm in diameter. The outside is covered by a red, roughly-textured rind that is inedible but easily removed. The inside consists of a layer of sweet, translucent white flesh, rich in vitamin C, with a texture somewhat similar to that of a grape. The edible flesh consists of a highly developed aril enveloping the seed. The centre contains a single glossy brown nut-like seed, 2 cm long and 1-1.5 cm in diameter. The seed, similar to a buckeye seed, is slightly poisonous and should not be eaten. The fruit matures from July to October, about 100 days after flowering. The peach is a typical drupe (stone fruit) In botany, a drupe is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp or skin and mesocarp or flesh) surrounds a shell (the pit or stone) of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. ... In botany, a rind is the thick outer skin of various structures such as fruit. ... Chemical structure of vitamin C Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient and human vitamin essential for life and for maintaining optimal health, used by the body for many purposes. ... Species Vitis acerifolia Vitis aestivalis Vitis amurensis Vitis arizonica Vitis x bourquina Vitis californica Vitis x champinii Vitis cinerea Vitis x doaniana Vitis girdiana Vitis labrusca Vitis x labruscana Vitis lincecumii Vitis monticola Vitis mustangensis Vitis x novae-angliae Vitis palmata Vitis riparia Vitis rotundifolia Vitis rupestris Vitis shuttleworthii Vitis... Mature and immature arils of Taxus baccata, a European yew. ... Hazelnuts from the Common Hazel Chestnut Carya ovata nut anatomy A nut is a seed of a plant. ... A ripe red jalapeño cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ... Species Aesculus arguta: Texas Buckeye Aesculus californica: California Buckeye Aesculus chinensis: Chinese Horse-chestnut Aesculus flava (): Yellow Buckeye Aesculus glabra: Ohio Buckeye Aesculus hippocastanum: Common Horse-chestnut Aesculus indica: Indian Horse-chestnut Aesculus neglecta: Dwarf Buckeye Aesculus parviflora: Bottlebrush Buckeye Aesculus pavia: Red Buckeye Aesculus sylvatica: Painted Buckeye Aesculus turbinata... The skull and crossbones symbol traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ...

There are two subspecies:

• Litchi chinensis subsp. chinensis. China, Indochina. Leaves with 4-8 (rarely 2) leaflets.
• Litchi chinensis subsp. philippinensis (Radlk.) Leenh. Philippines, Indonesia. Leaves with 2-4 (rarely 6) leaflets.

Cultivation and uses

A plate of lychee showing a peeled fruit

Lychees are extensively grown in their native region, and also elsewhere in southeast Asia, India, southern Japan, and more recently in California and Hawaii in the United States, the wetter areas of eastern Australia and sub-tropical regions of South Africa, also in the state of Sinaloa in Mexico. They require a warm subtropical to tropical climate that is cool but also frost-free or with only very slight winter frosts not below -4°C, and with high summer heat, rainfall, and humidity. Growth is best on well-drained, slightly acidic soils rich in organic matter. A wide range of cultivars is available, with early and late maturing forms suited to warmer and cooler climates respectively. They are also grown as an ornamental tree as well as for their fruit. Lychee. ... Lychee. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sinaloa is bordered by the states of Sonora to the north, Chihuahua to the northeast, Durango to the east, and Nayarit to the south. ... Loess field in Germany Soil horizons are formed by combined biological, chemical and physical alterations. ... This Osteospermum Pink Whirls is a successful cultivar. ...

Germinating Lychee seed with its main root (about 3 months old)

Lychees are commonly sold fresh in Chinese and southeast Asian markets, and in recent years, also widely in supermarkets worldwide. The red rind turns dark brown when the fruit is refrigerated, but the taste is not affected. It is also sold canned year-round. The fruit can be dried with the rind intact, at which point the flesh shrinks and darkens, somewhat resembling a human earlobe in texture. Download high resolution version (548x800, 25 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (548x800, 25 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Cultivars

There are at many different cultivars of lychee, of which three are considered to be the most sought-after. This Osteospermum Pink Whirls is a successful cultivar. ...

The "Three Prestigeous Cultivars"

• Hanging Green (Chinese: 掛綠)- The most famous (and most rare) lychee in existance. It received its name because of the barely noticable light green hue and green line on the shell. Ancient records have described Hanging Green as "Fresh and crispy as pear, without juice. It can last for three days after the shell is removed". For centuries, Hanging Green is a item of tribute to the imperial government of various dynasties, until people in Canton revolted during the Qianlong era against the tributes and chopped all but one of the Hanging Green trees. The sole remaining tree still produces fruit each year, and fruits from that tree are now called "Zhengcheng Hanging Green" (增城掛綠).

• Sweet Osmanthus Flavour (桂味)- Named because of the Sweet Osmanthus flavour it contains, this lychee has light red shells, which contains sharp edges. The fruits are described as crispy and sweet. There is a related cultivar, called "Yatou Green" (鴨頭綠). The shell of this cultivar has dark green spots.

• Glutinous Rice Ball (糯米糍)- Named after its thick fruit meats and sweet (some described the taste as close to honey) flavours. The fresh red shells are not sharp and hard, and the seeds from this cultivar are noticably smaller than others. Some fruits from this cultivar are seedless.

Binomial name Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd. ... ... The Qianlong Emperor (September 25, 1711&#8211;February 7, 1799) was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China. ... Binomial name Osmanthus fragrans Lour. ...

Other notable cultivars

• Baila (白臘)
• Baitangen (白糖罌)
• Black Leaves (黑葉)- This cultivar matures less than others, and has big meats and seeds. The shell exhibits a dark red tint.
• Huaichi (懷枝)- Literally "Branches [of fruit] in the arms of [a person]", this lychee supposedly received its name when a government official toured Lingnan (mondern day Canton) and placed within his arms lychee branches gifted by local villagers.
• March Red (三月紅)- This lychee matures the earliest, and are usually available annually around May.
• The Concubine Smiles (妃子笑)- Famed as the cultivar of lychee Emperor Xuanzong of Tang brought from the edges of the Tang empire to cheer up Yang Guifei, this lychee matures earlier than others, and has a very light red tint on its shells.
• The Jade Purse (玉荷包)- Named because of its large fruits and the thick meat within. The seed is small in this cultivar.

... Look up May in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Emperor Tang Xuanzong (唐玄宗) (September 8, 685 - May 3, 762), born Li Longji (李隆基), was the sixth emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 712 to 756. ... Yang Guifei (Traditional Chinese: 楊貴妃 Secondary-consort Yang) (June 1, 719 — July 15, 756), born Yang Yuhuan (楊玉環), was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. ...

History

A major early Chinese historical reference to lychees was made in the Tang Dynasty, when it was the favourite fruit of Emperor Li Longji (Xuanzong)'s favoured concubine Yang Yuhuan (Yang Guifei). The Tang Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: Tángcháo) (June 18, 618–June 4, 907), lasting about three centuries, followed the Sui Dynasty and preceded the Song Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. ... An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. ... Emperor Tang Xuanzong (&#21776;&#29572;&#23447;) (685 - 762), born Li Longji (&#26446;&#38534;&#22522;), was the sixth emperor of the Tang dynasty of China reigining from 712 to 756. ... Yang Guifei (Traditional Chinese: 楊貴妃 Secondary-consort Yang) (June 1, 719 — July 15, 756), born Yang Yuhuan (楊玉環), was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. ...

The lychee was first described in the West by Pierre Sonnerat (1748-1814) on a return from his travel to China and Southeast Asia. Pierre Sonnerat (August 18, 1748 – March 31, 1814) was a French naturalist and explorer. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

It was then introduced to the Réunion Island in 1764 by Joseph-François Charpentier de Cossigny de Palma. Il was later introduced to Madagascar which has become a major producer.

There is a Cantonese saying: "one lychee equals three torches of fire" (一啖荔枝三把火)^[1]. It refers to the extreme Yang property of the fruit. Over-consumption of lychees is reported^{[citation needed]} to lead to dry lips, nosebleeds, pimples, and mouth ulcers. There have also been reports on Chinese language newspapers on people being sent to hospital for violent nosebleed and/or coughing up blood because of overconsumption of Lychee^{[citation needed]}. This article is on all of the Yue dialects. ... Taoists Taijitu The concept of Yin Yang originates in ancient Chinese philosophy, most likely from the observations of day turning into night and night into day. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

Lychee tree Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2304x1728, 1164 KB) [edit] Summary Litchi chinensis (tree : habit) Photo : B.navez - 15 FEB 2006 - Réunion island [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Lychee...	Green fruits on tree Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1944x2592, 2310 KB) [edit] Summary Description: Letchi, Nephelium litchi, november 2004, La Réunion Source: Bouba [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Lychee Metadata This...	Young plant Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2592x1944, 671 KB) [edit] Summary Litchi sinensis, picture taken at the Botanische tuin TU Delft in Delft, The Netherlands [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed...	Lychee fruit Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 410 KB) [edit] Summary litchi or lichu a local fruit. ...
Lychee juice Image File history File links Lychee_juice_JPN.jpg‎ [edit] ファイルの概要 [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Lychee ...

References

1. ^ The quote appears to be the corrupted version of a poetry verse by Su Shi, which reads "Eating 300 Lychee fruits everyday, I will leave unannounced and become a Lingnan (ancient name for Canton) person forever". (Chinese: 日啖荔枝三百顆，不辭長作嶺南人).

Su Shi (蘇軾) (1037-1101) was a writer, poet, artist, calligrapher and statesman of the Song Dynasty, one of the major poets of the Song era. ...

See also

• Ackee
• Longan
• Korlan
• Mamoncillo
• Rambutan
• Chinese food therapy
• Lichido Liqueur

References ITIS 506071 The scientific name for the akee is Blighia sapida. ... Binomial name Dimocarpus longan The longan (Simplified Chinese: 龙眼; Traditional Chinese: 龍眼; pinyin: ; Cantonese long-ngan; literally dragon eye) is an evergreen tree native to southeast Asia from southern China south to Indonesia. ... Binomial name Nephelium hypoleucum The Korlan (Nephelium hypoleucum) is a tree in the family Sapindaceae and the fruit of this tree. ... Binomial name Melicoccus bijugatus P.Browne The Mamoncillo Melicoccus bijugatus, also known as the Quenepa, Chenet, Genip, Spanish Lime, or Kinnip, is a fruit-bearing tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native to a wide area of the American tropics including Central America, Colombia and the Caribbean. ... Binomial name Nephelium lappaceum L. The Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) is a medium to large sized tropical tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native to southeast Asia, and the fruit of this tree. ... Chinese food therapy (Simplified Chinese: 食疗; Traditional Chinese: 食療; pinyin: Shí Liáo) is a practice of healing using natural foods instead of medications. ... A bottle of Lichido Lichido is a lychee liqueur made with vodka, Cognac, lychee and guava, essences and white peach juice. ...

External links

• Fruits of Warm Climates: Lychee
• California Rare Fruit Growers: Lychee Fruit Facts
• Know and Enjoy Tropical Fruit: Lychee, Rambutan & Longan
• Litchi chinensis (Sapindaceae)

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