How To Grow Lychee

The lychee is actually part of a group of edible fruits of the soapberry family, Sapindaceae.

Description

The lychee tree can grow upwards of 30-100 feet depending on the conditions of its environment. It has evergreen leaves, 5 to 8 in long, are pinnate, having 4 to 8 alternate leaflets, somewhat leathery, smooth, glossy, dark-green on the upper surface and grayish-green beneath, and 2 to 3 in long.

The flowers, greenish-white to yellowish flowers are borne in terminal clusters to 30 in long.

Showy fruits, in loose, pendent clusters of 2 to 30 are usually strawberry-red, sometimes rose, pinkish or amber, and some types tinged with green.

Most are aromatic, oval, heart-shaped or nearly round, about 1 in wide and 1 1/2 in long and have a thin, leathery, rough or minutely warty skin, flexible and easily peeled when fresh. Immediately beneath the skin of some varieties is a small amount of clear, delicious juice.

The glossy, succulent, thick, translucent-white to grayish or pinkish fleshy aril which usually separates readily from the seed, suggests a large, luscious grape. The flavor of the flesh is distinctive.

Origin and Distribution

The lychee is native to low elevations of southern China, where it flourishes especially along rivers and near the seacoast.

Lychees are grown mostly in dooryards from northern Queensland to New South Wales, but commercial orchards have been established in the past 20 years, some consisting of 5,000 trees.

Varieties

'No Mai Tsze', or 'No mi ts 'z' (glutinous rice) is the leading variety in China; large, red, "dry-and-clean"; seeds often small and shriveled. It is one of the best for drying, and is late in season. It does best when grafted onto the 'Mountain' lychee.

'Kwa Iuk' or 'Kua lu' (hanging green) is a famous lychee; large, red with a green tip and a typical green line; "dry-and-clean"; of outstanding flavor and fragrance. It was, in olden times, a special fruit for presentation to high officials and other persons in positions of honor. Professor Groff was given a single fruit in a little red box!

'Kwai mi' or 'Kuei Wei', (cinnamon flavor) which came to be called 'Mauritius' is smaller, heart-shaped, with rough red skin tinged with green on the shoulders and usually having a thin line running around the fruit. The seed is small and the flesh very sweet and fragrant. The branches of the tree curve upward at the tips and the leaflets curl inward from the midrib.

'Hsiang li', or 'Heung lai' (fragrant lychee) is home by a tree with distinctive erect habit having upward-pointing leaves. The fruit is small, very rough and prickly, deep-red, with the smallest seeds of all, and the flesh is of superior flavor and fragrance. It is late in season. Those grown in Sin Hsing are better than those grown in other locations.

'Hsi Chio tsu', or 'Sai kok tsz' (rhinoceros horn) is borne by a large-growing tree. The fruit is large, rough, broad at the base and narrow at the apex; has somewhat tough and fibrous, but fragrant, sweet, flesh. It ripens early.

'Hak ip', or 'Hei yeh', (black leaf) is borne by a densely-branched tree with large, pointed, slightly curled, dark-green leaflets. The fruit is medium-red, sometimes with green tinges, broad-shouldered, with thin, soft skin and the flesh, occasionally pinkish, is crisp and sweet. This is rated as "one of the best 'water' lychees."

'Fei tsu hsiao', or 'Fi tsz siu' (imperial concubine's laugh, or smile) is large, amber-colored, thin-skinned, with very sweet, very fragrant flesh. Seeds vary from large to very small. It ripens early.

'T' ang po', or 'T' ong pok' (pond embankment) is from a small-leaved tree. The fruit is small, red, rough, with thin, juicy acid flesh and very little rag. It is a very early variety.

'Sheung shu wai' or'Shang hou huai', (President of a Board's embrace) is borne on a small-leaved tree. The fruit is large, rounded, red, with many dark spots. It has sweet flesh with little scent and the seed size is variable. It is rather late in season.

'Ch'u ma lsu', or 'Chu ma lsz' (China grass fiber) has distinctive, lush foliage. The leaves are large, overlapping, with long petioles. The fruits are large with prominent shoulders and rough skin, deep red inside. While very fragrant, the flesh is of inferior flavor and clings to the seed which varies from large to small.

'Ta tsao', or 'Tai tso' (large crop) is widely grown around Canton; somewhat egg-shaped; skin rough, bright-red with many small, dense dots; flesh firm, crisp, sweet, faintly streaked with yellow near the large seed. The juice leaks when the skin is broken. The fruit ripens early.

'Huai chih', or 'Wai chi' (the Wai River lychee) has medium-sized, blunt leaves. The fruit is round with medium-smooth skin, a rich red outside, pink inside; and leaking juice. This is not a high class variety but the most commonly grown, high yielding, and late in season.

'San yueh hung', or 'Sam ut hung' (third month red), also called 'Ma yuen', 'Ma un', 'Tsao kuo', 'Tso kwo', 'Tsao li', or 'Tsoli' (early lychee) is grown along dykes. The branches are brittle and break readily; the leaves are long, pointed, and thick. The fruit is very large, with red, thick, tough skin and thick, medium-sweet flesh with much rag. The seeds are long but aborted. This variety is popular mainly because it comes into season very early.

'Pai la li chih', or 'Pak lap lai chi' (white wax lychee), also called 'Po le tzu', or 'Pak lik tsz (white fragrant plant), is large, pink, rough, with pinkish, fibrous, not very sweet flesh and large seeds. It ripens very late, after 'Huai chih'.

'Shan chi', or 'Shan chih' (mountain lychee), also called 'Suan chih', or 'Sun chi' (sour lychee) grows wild in the hills and is often planted as a rootstock for better varieties. The tree is of erect habit with erect twigs and large, pointed, short-petioled leaves. The fruit is bright-red, elongated, very rough, with thin flesh, acid flavor and large seed.

'T'im ngam', or 'T'ien yeh' (sweet cliff) is a common variety of lychee which Professor Groff reported to be quite widely grown in Kwantung, but not really on a commercial basis.

In his book, The Litchi, Dr. Lal Behari Singh wrote that Bihar is the center of lychee culture in India, producing 33 selected varieties classified into 15 groups. His extremely detailed descriptions of the 10 cultivars recommended for large-scale cultivation I have abbreviated (with a few bracketed additions from other sources):

'Early Seedless', or 'Early Bedana'. Fruit 1 1/3 in (3.4 cm) long, heart-shaped to oval; rough, red, with green interspaces; skin firm and leathery; flesh [ivory] to white, soft, sweet; seed shrunken, like a dog's tooth. Of good quality. The tree bears a moderate crop, early in season.

'Rose-scented'. Fruit 1 1/4 in (3.2 cm) long; rounded-heart-shaped; slightly rough, purplish-rose, slightly firm skin; flesh gray-white, soft, very sweet. Seed round-ovate, fully developed. Of good quality. [Tree bears a moderate crop] in midseason.

'Early Large Red'. Fruit slightly more than 1 1/3 in (3.4 cm) long, usually obliquely heart-shaped; crimson [to carmine], with green interspaces; very rough; skin very firm and leathery, adhering slightly to the flesh. Flesh grayish-white, firm, sweet and flavorful. Of very good quality. [Tree is a moderate bearer], early in season.

'Dehra Dun', [or 'Dehra Dhun']. Fruit less than 1 1/2 in (4 cm) long; obliquely heart-shaped to conical; a blend of red and orange-red; skin rough, leathery; flesh gray-white, soft, of good, sweet flavor. Seed often shrunken, occasionally very small. Of good quality; midseason. [This is grown extensively in Uttar Pradesh and is the most satisfactory lychee in Pakistan.]

'Late Long Red', or 'Muzaffarpur'. Fruit less than 1 1/2 in (4 cm) long; usually oblong-conical; dark-red with greenish interspaces; skin rough, firm and leathery, slightly adhering to the flesh; flesh grayish-white, soft, of good, sweet flavor. Seed cylindrical, fully developed. Of good quality. [Tree is a heavy bearer], late in season.

'Pyazi'. Fruit 1 1/3 in (3.4 cm) long; oblong-conical to heart-shaped; a blend of orange and orange-red, with yellowish-red, not very prominent, tubercles. Skin leathery, adhering; flesh gray-white, firm, slightly sweet, with flavor reminiscent of "boiled onion". Seed cylindrical, fully developed. Of poor quality. Early in season.

'Extra Early Green'. Fruit 1 1/4 in (3.2 cm) long; mostly heart-shaped, rarely rounded or oblong; yellowish-red with green interspaces; skin slightly rough, leathery, slightly adhering; flesh creamy-white, [firm, of good, slightly acid flavor]; seed oblong, cylindrical or flat. Of indifferent quality. Very early in season.

'Kalkattia', ['Calcuttia', or 'Calcutta']. Fruit 1 1/2 in (4 cm) long; oblong or lopsided; rose-red with darker tubercles; skin very rough, leathery, slightly adhering; flesh grayish ivory, firm, of very sweet, good flavor. Seed oblong or concave. Of very good quality. [A heavy bearer; withstands hot winds]. Very late in season.

'Gulabi'. Fruit 1 1/3 in (3.4 cm) long; heart-shaped, oval or oblong; pink-red to carmine with orange-red tubercles; skin very rough, leathery, non-adherent; flesh gray-white, firm, of good subacid flavor; seed oblong-cylindrical, fully developed. Of very good quality. Late in season.

'Late Seedless', or 'Late Bedana'. Fruit less than 1 3/8 in (3.65 cm) long; mainly conical, rarely ovate; orange-red to carmine with blackish-brown tubercles; skin rough, firm, non-adherent; flesh creamy-white, soft; very sweet, of very good flavor except for slight bitterness near the seed. Seed slightly spindle-shaped, or like a dog's tooth; underdeveloped. Of very good quality. [Tree bears heavily. Withstands hot winds.] Late in season.

'Panjore common'. Fruit is large, heart-shaped, deep-orange to pink; skin is rough, very thin, apt to split. Tree bears heavily and has the longest fruiting season-for an entire month beginning near the end of May. Six other varieties commonly grown there are: 'Rose-scented', 'Bhadwari', 'Seedless No. 1', 'Seedless No. 2', 'Dehra Dun', and 'Kalkattia'.

'No Mai Tsze' has been growing in Hawaii for over 40 years but has produced very few fruits. 'Pat Po Heung' (eight precious fragrances), erroneously called 'Pat Po Hung' (eight precious red), somewhat resembles 'No Mai Tsze' but is smaller; the skin is purplish-red, thin and pliable; the juice leaks when the skin is broken; the flesh is soft, juicy, sweet even when slightly unripe; the seed varies from medium to large. The tree is slow-growing and of weak, spreading habit; it bears well in Hawaii. Nevertheless, it is not commonly planted.

'Kaimana', or 'Poamoho', an open-pollinated seedling of 'Hak Ip', developed by Dr. R.A. Hamilton at the Poamoho Experiment Station of the University of Hawaii, was released in 1982. The fruit resembled 'Kwai Mi' but is twice as large, deep-red, of high quality, and the tree is a regular bearer.

'Brewster' is large, conical or wedge-shaped, red, with soft flesh, more acid than that of 'Kwai mi', and the seeds are very often fully formed and large. The leaflets are flat with slightly recurved margins and taper to a sharp point.

'Bengal'–In 1929, the U.S. Department of Agriculture received a small lychee plant, supposedly a seedling of 'Rose-scented', from Calcutta. It was planted at the Plant Introduction Station in Miami and began bearing in 1940. The fruits resembled 'Brewster' but were more elongated, were home in large clusters, and the flesh was firm, not leaking juice when peeled. All the fruits had fully developed seeds but smaller in proportion to flesh than those of 'Brewster'. The habit of the tree is more spreading than that of 'Brewster'; it has larger, more leathery, darker green leave's, and the bark is smoother and paler. The original tree and its air-layered progeny have shown no chlorosis on limestone in contrast to 'Brewster' trees growing nearby.

'Peerless', believed to be a seedling of 'Brewster', originated at the Royal Palm Nursery at Oneco; was transplanted to the T.R. Palmer Estate in Belleair where C.E. Ware noticed from 1936 to 1938 that it bore fruit of larger size, brighter color and higher percentage of abortive seed than 'Brewster'. In 1938, Ware air-layered and removed 200 branches, purchased the tree and moved it to his property in Clearwater. It resumed fruiting in 1940 and annual crops recorded to 1956 showed good productivity-averaging 383.4 lbs (174 kg) per year, and the rate of abortive seeds ranged from 62% to 85%. The 200 air-layers were planted out by Ware in 1942 and began bearing in 1946. Most of the fruits had fully developed seeds but the rate of abortive seeds increased year by year and in 1950 was 61% to 70%. The cultivar was named with the approval of the Florida Lychee Growers Association. Two seedling selections by Col. Grove, 'Yellow Red' and 'Late Globe', Prof. Groff believed to be natural hybrids of 'Brewster' ´ 'Mountain'.

'Wai Chi' is late in season (December), has small, round fruits, basically yellow overlaid with red; the seed is small and oval. The tree is very compact with upright branches, and prefers a cooler climate than that of coastal north Queensland where it does not fruit heavily. The leaflets are concave like those of 'Kwai Mi'.

Climate

Lychee thrives in areas that are not subject to heavy frost but cool and dry enough in the winter months to provide a period of Heavy frosts will kill young trees but mature trees can withstand light frosts.

Heavy rain or fog during the flowering period is detrimental, as are hot, dry, strong winds which cause shedding of flowers, also splitting of the fruit skin. Splitting occurs, too, during spells of alternating rain and hot, dry periods, especially on the sunny side of the tree.

Soil

The lychee grows well on a wide range of soils. If the soil is deficient in lime, this must be added. The lychee attains maximum growth and productivity on deep alluvial loam but flourishes when it is put in an adequate hole and irrigated in dry seasons.

Though the lychee has a high water requirement, it cannot stand water-logging. The water table should be at least 4 to 6 ft below the surface and the underground water should be moving inasmuch as stagnant water induces root rot. The lychee can stand occasionally brief flooding better than citrus. It will not thrive under saline conditions.

Propagation

Lychee seeds remain viable only 4 to 5 days, and seedling trees will not bear until they are 5 to 8, years old. For these reasons, seeds are planted mostly for selection and breeding purposes or for rootstock.

Attempts to grow the lychee from cuttings have been generally discouraging, though 80% success has been claimed with spring cuttings in full sun, under constant mist and given weekly liquid nutrients. Ground-layering has been practiced to some extent. Air-layering is the most popular means of propagation and has been practiced for ages. By their method, a branch of a chosen tree is girdled, allowed to callus for 1 to 2 days and then is enclosed in a ball of sticky mud mixed with chopped straw or dry leaves and wrapped with burlap. With frequent watering, roots develop in the mud and, in about 100 days, the branch is cut off, the ball of earth is increased to about 12 inch in width, and the air-layer is kept in a sheltered nursery for a little over a year, then gradually exposed to full sun before it is set out in the orchard. Some air-layers are planted in large clay pots and grown as ornamentals.

Wind protection:

Young trees benefit greatly by wind protection. This can be provided by placing stakes around each small tree and stretching cloth around them as a windscreen. In very windy locations, the entire plantation may be protected by trees planted as windbreaks but these should not be so close as to shade the lychees. The lychee tree is structurally highly wind-resistant, having withstood typhoons, but shelter may be needed to safeguard the crop. During dry, hot months, lychee trees of any age will benefit from overhead sprinkling; they are seriously retarded by water stress.

Fertilization:

Newly planted trees must be watered but not fertilized beyond the enrichment of the hole well in advance of planting.

Pruning: Ordinarily, the tree is not pruned after the judicious shaping of the young plant, because the clipping off of a branch tip with each cluster of fruits is sufficient to promote new growth for the next crop. Severe pruning of old trees may be done to increase fruit size and yield for at least a few years.

Harvesting

For home use or for local markets, lychees are harvested when fully colored; for shipment, when only partly colored. The final swelling of the fruit causes the protuberances on the skin to be less crowded and to slightly flatten out, thus an experienced picker will recognize the stage of full maturity. The fruits are rarely picked singly except for immediate eating out-of-hand, because the stem does not normally detach without breaking the skin and that causes the fruit to spoil quickly. The clusters are usually clipped with a portion of stem and a few leaves attached to prolong freshness. Individual fruits are later clipped from the cluster leaving a stub of stem attached. Harvesting may need to be done every 3 to 4 days over a period of 3-4 weeks. It is never done right after rain, as the wet fruit is very perishable.

Diseases

Few diseases have been reported from any lychee-growing locality. The glossy leaves are very resistant to fungi.

Lichens and algae commonly grow on the trunks and branches of lychee trees.

The main post-harvest problem is spoilage by the yeast-like organism, which is quick to attack warm, moist fruits. It is important to keep the fruits dry and cool, with good circulation of air. When conditions favor rotting, dusting with fungicide will be necessary.

Food Uses

Lychees are most relished fresh, out-of-hand. Peeled and pitted, they are commonly added to fruit cups and fruit salads. Lychees stuffed with cottage cheese are served as salad topped with dressing and pecans. Or the fruit may be stuffed with a blend of cream cheese and mayonnaise, or stuffed with pecan meats, and garnished with whipped cream. Sliced lychees, congealed in lime gelatin, are served on lettuce with whipped cream or mayonnaise. The fruits may be layered with pistachio ice cream and whipped cream in parfait glasses, as dessert. Halved lychees have been placed on top of ham during the last hour of baking, or grilled on top of steak. Pureed lychees are added to ice cream mix. Sherbet is made by extracting the juice from fresh, seeded lychees and adding it to a mixture of prepared plain gelatin, hot milk, light cream, sugar and a little lemon juice, and freezing.

Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Portion*
	Fresh	Dried
Calories	63-64	277
Moisture	81.9-84.83%	17.90-22.3%
Protein	0.68-1.0 g	2.90-3.8 g
Fat	0.3-0.58 g	0.20-1.2 g
Carbohydrates	13.31-16.4 g	70.7-77.5 g
Fiber	0.23-0.4 g	1.4 g
Ash	0.37-0.5 g	1.5-2.0 g
Calcium	8-10 mg	33 mg
Phosphorus	30-42 mg
Iron	0.4 mg	1.7 mg
Sodium	3 mg	3 mg
Potassium	170 mg	1,100 mg
Thiamine	28 mcg
Nicotinic Acid	0.4 mg
Riboflavin	0.05 mg	0.05 mg
Ascorbic Acid	24-60 mg	42 mg

*According to analyses made in China, India and the Philippines.

Medicinal Uses: Ingested in moderate amounts, the lychee is said to relieve coughing and to have a beneficial effect on gastralgia, tumors and enlargements of the glands.

 

Morton, J. 1987. Lychee. p. 249–259. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.