About Litchi
Lychees ( LIE-chee, US also LEE-chee) are the fruit of the tree Litchi chinensis, the sole member of the genus Litchi, part of the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. They are edible, with a sweet, mildly tart flavor, and have a distinctive floral aroma often described as rose-like. There are three distinct subspecies of lychee. The most common is the Indochinese lychee, found in South China, Malaysia, and northern Vietnam. The other two are the Philippine lychee (locally called alupag or matamata), found only in the Philippines, and the Javanese lychee, cultivated in Indonesia and Malaysia. The tree has been introduced throughout Southeast Asia and South Asia. Cultivation in China is documented from the 11th century.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Litchi chinensis
- Genus
- Litchi
- Family
- SAPINDACEAE
- Habit
- Tree
- Native to
- South China
- Distribution
- Cultivated in many parts of the World
- Flowering & fruiting
- January-June
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Hindi
- लीची Lichi, लीची
- Nepali
- लिची
- Bengali
- লীচী Lichi, লিচু
- Tamil
- விளச்சிப்பழம்
- Telugu
- లీచీ
- Kannada
- Lichi hannu, ಲಿಚ್ಚಿ
- Malayalam
- ലിച്ചി
- Marathi
- लीची Lichi
Sapindaceae
Soapberry/Lychee family
Litchi belongs to the Sapindaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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