Lichi / Litchi
Litchi chinensis
Also known as Lychee
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Uttarakhand, Assam, Bihar & more
- Flowering
- January-June
How to identify Lichi
Identify Lichi by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Cultivated for sweet edible lychee fruit.
- Confirm leaf type: Pinnately compound (leaflets in rows along a stalk).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: January-June.
- In India, compare location records such as Uttarakhand, Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Sapindaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Lichi.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Litchi chinensis
- Genus
- Litchi
- Family
- Sapindaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Native to
- South China
- Distribution
- Cultivated in many parts of the World
- Found in India
- Uttarakhand, Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Mizoram, Sikkim, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Meghalaya, Tripura
- Flowering & fruiting
- January-June
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Pinnately compound (leaflets in rows along a stalk)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Lichi itself; the rest are typical of the Sapindaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Capsule
Typical of the Sapindaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- लीची Lichi,लीची lichi
- Nepali
- लिची
- Bengali
- লীচী Lichi, লিচু
- Tamil
- விளச்சிப்பழம்
- Telugu
- లీచీ
- Kannada
- Lichi hannu, ಲಿಚ್ಚಿ
- Malayalam
- ലിച്ചി
- Marathi
- लीची Lichi
About Lichi
Litchi (Litchi chinensis) belongs to the Sapindaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Uttarakhand, Assam, Bihar and 12 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from January to June.
Uses
It is grown for parts that are eaten and planted as an ornamental. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
Sapindaceae
Soapberry/Lychee family
Lichi belongs to the Sapindaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Sapindaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Lichi or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides