Longan
Longan fruit
Conservation status
Near Threatened
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Sapindales Family: Sapindaceae Genus: Dimocarpus Species: D. longan
Binomial name
Dimocarpus longan Lour.

The Longan (Simplified Chinese: 龙眼; Traditional Chinese: 龍眼; pinyin: lóngyǎn; Cantonese long-ngan; Vietnamese long nhãn - literally "dragon eye") is an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia from southern China south to Indonesia. It is also called guiyuan (桂圆) in Chinese and lengkeng in Indonesia. The longan ("dragon eyes")is so named because of the fruit's resemblance to an eyeball when it is shelled (the black seed shows through the translucent flesh like a pupil/iris). Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (640x948, 91 KB) Longans (Dimocarpus longan). ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... Near Threatened (NT) is an conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa which may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... 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. ... Longans (龍眼, in Pinyin lóngyǎn, in Cantonese long-ngan, meaning dragon eyes) (Nephelium longanum Cambess) are fruits often used in East Asian soups, snacks, desserts, and sweet-and-sour foods. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; also Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) refer to one of two standard Chinese character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language, officially simplified by the government of the Peoples Republic of China in an attempt to promote literacy. ... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... It has been suggested that Pinyin method be merged into this article or section. ... This article is on all of the Yue dialects. ... The Chinese dragon, or Lóng (also spelled Loong, Long or Lung) in Chinese, is a mythical Chinese creature that also appears in other East Asian cultures, and is also sometimes called the Oriental (or Eastern) dragon in the West. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

The fruit is edible, and is often used in East Asian soups, snacks, desserts, and sweet-and-sour foods. They are round with a thin, brown-coloured inedible shell. The flesh of the fruit, which surrounds a big, black seed, is translucent white, soft, and juicy. Fruit stall in Barcelona, Spain. ... East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... Soup is a savoury liquid food that is made by boiling ingredients, such as meat, vegetables and beans in stock or hot water, until the flavor is extracted. ... A snack food is seen in Western culture as a type of food that is not meant to be eaten as part of one of the main meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, supper). ... A selection of desserts Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a dinner, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheeses. ...

Longans and lychees bear fruit at around the same time of the year. Dried longan (Chinese: 圓肉; pinyin: yuánròu; literally "round meat") are often used in Chinese food therapy and herbal medicine and Chinese sweet desert soups. In contrast with the fresh fruit, the flesh of dried longans is dark brown to almost black. Binomial name Litchi chinensis Sonn. ... It has been suggested that Pinyin method be merged into this article or section. ... Chinese food therapy is a practice of healing using natural foods instead of medications. ... Traditional Chinese medicine shop in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. ...

Longan fruit section Image File history File links ARS_longan_13. ...

See also

• Ackee
• Lychee
• Mamoncillo
• Rambutan
• List of fruits

Longans are not to be confused with loganberries. References ITIS 506071 The scientific name for the akee is Blighia sapida. ... Binomial name Litchi chinensis Sonn. ... 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. ... Here are lists of all the fruits considered edible in some cuisine. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

References and external links

• World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1998). Dimocarpus longan. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006.
• Fruits of Warm Climates: Longan
• Know and Enjoy Tropical Fruit: Lychee, Rambutan & Longan
• Dimocarpus longan (Sapindaceae)
• The use of longan in traditional Chinese medicine

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Dimocarpus longan