- Type
- Trees & Vines
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Season
- Summer
- Sowing
- From seed
Lychee
Litchi chinensis
Sugars and vitamin C · crystal-white flesh under a red rind
Lychee is the fruit of a soapberry-family tree that reaches Korean markets in summer. Peel back the red, pebbled rind with a thumbnail and the flesh underneath is white as crystal, with a single glossy brown seed at the centre. It is a subtropical tree that will not fruit outdoors in Korea, so almost all of it arrives from southern China and Southeast Asia. A rind that has dried browns over, which is the rind drying ahead of the flesh; what to leave behind is fruit that gives softly under a finger or weeps juice. The Donguibogam lists it in the Fruit section as yeoji (荔枝), naming Shu and Yunnan as its country, and drawing the form: a rind patterned like red silk, flesh clear as crystal, sweet as honey. It records where the name came from as well — when the fruit sets, the branch is weak and the stalk tough, so it cannot be pulled off by hand and is taken by cutting the branch with a knife or an axe. A caution follows that eating a great deal of it brings on heat. Cases have been investigated and reported in connection with eating large amounts of unripe fruit on an empty stomach, so eat ripe fruit, in moderation, alongside a meal.
Year-Round Calendar
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Where It Grows
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Origin
South China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Hainan) is the crop's place of origin and produces most of the world's supply. Hainan is the earliest to harvest, with Guangdong following. Harvest May, June, July
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Main producer
Muzaffarpur in Bihar is the centre of production, and the country ranks second after China. Harvest May, June
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Main producer
Luc Ngan in the northern province of Bac Giang is the centre of production, and much of the crop is exported fresh. Harvest May, June, July
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Major producer
Kaohsiung and Tainan in the south are the growing areas. Harvest May, June, July
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Major producer
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in the north are the growing areas, and the harvest is early by Asian standards. Harvest April, May, June
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Major producer
The east coast is the growing area. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, the harvest arrives in midwinter, and most of the fresh lychee on Europe's winter market comes from here. Harvest November, December, January
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It came out of South China and spread through Southeast Asia and India, and in the 19th and 20th centuries it crossed to subtropical regions such as Madagascar, South Africa, Australia and Mexico. Growing areas in the Northern Hemisphere harvest from April to July, and Madagascar in the Southern Hemisphere from November to January, which is why Europe sees fresh lychee in the depths of winter. In Korea the tree cannot overwinter — survive the winter outdoors in open ground — so every fresh lychee on the market is imported.
- Optimum
- 22~32℃
- Range
- 10~38℃
- Hardiness
- Not hardy
- Day length
- Not applicable
Lychee is a tree of the subtropical lowlands, where winters are cool but free of frost and summers are hot and humid. To set flower buds it needs a couple of cool months in winter in which temperatures fall below 10~15℃, so near the equator, where it is always hot, the tree puts out leaves and sets no fruit. What fixes the timing of flowering is not day length but this winter chill. At the other extreme, only a few hours below 0℃ will kill the young shoots.
How to grow
- Light
- A subtropical tree that fruits only where frost does not fall. In Korea a seed-grown pot plant kept for its foliage is as far as it goes; stand it at a bright window
- Soil and depth
- Free-draining, slightly acid soil. In a pot, mix in coarse grit to open a drainage path
- Spacing
- One tree to a pot. In producing regions the canopy spreads wide, so trees are set well apart
- Watering
- Water thoroughly when the surface of the pot dries. Cut back in winter, but do not let the leaves crisp
- Feeding
- A weak liquid feed only through the spring and summer growing season. Nothing in winter
- Harvest
- Choose fruit with a red rind, taut tubercles, and weight in the hand. Leave behind anything that gives softly, weeps juice, or is dark and wet at the stalk scar
What makes the difference. Keep it in the rind, bagged, in the vegetable drawer, and eat it within three days. For longer keeping, peel and stone it and freeze it spread in a single layer
Why this one is harder. It will not survive a Korean winter outdoors. A seed germinates readily but rarely gets anywhere near fruiting, and the fresh fruit on sale is almost all imported
Common problems
- Rind browning You will see The rind dries brown within a day or two of purchase What to do This is the rind drying ahead of the flesh, not spoilage. Bagged in the vegetable drawer it slows down
- Mould and fermentation You will see White mould settles on the rind, or juice weeps out with a sour smell What to do Throw that fruit away. If several in one bag have gone the same way, discard the lot
- Mites and scale insects You will see On a potted tree the leaves turn rough and small specks or white scales sit on the undersides What to do Wash the undersides with water; if it recurs, use an egg-yolk oil spray. Dry indoor air makes it worse
This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.
Health Benefits
What the Donguibogam records — yeoji (荔枝). The Donguibogam lists lychee in its Fruit section as yeoji (荔枝). It records a neutral nature, with a note that some call it slightly warm, a sweet taste, with a note that some call it sweet and sour, and no toxicity. It names Shu and Yunnan as the country it comes from, and draws the form: a fruit the size of a hen's egg, a rind patterned like red silk, flesh a greenish white like crystal, sweet as honey. It also carries a second account in which the seed is like a lotus seed and the flesh white as fat and full of juice. A caution is attached that eating a great deal brings on heat. This is a historical medical record and differs from modern medical judgment.
Where the name came from. The old text sets down the origin of the name as well. When the fruit sets, the branch is weak and the stalk tough, so it cannot be pulled off by hand and is taken by cutting the branch with a knife or an axe — and that, it says, is how the name arose. The passage is credited to the Bencao.
Analyses of unripe fruit. Repeated analyses report hypoglycin A and MCPG detected in unripe lychee and in the seed, with the same work reporting that levels fall as the fruit ripens. These are compositional analyses and have nothing to do with preventing or treating disease.
Nutrition
- Sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose) (carry the sweetness of the flesh) — simple sugars that rise as the fruit ripens
- Vitamin C (present in the flesh) — one of the water-soluble vitamins
- Polyphenols (proanthocyanidin type) (reported high in the rind) — compounds discussed alongside rind colour
- Hypoglycin A and MCPG (detected in unripe fruit and in the seed) — compounds reported to fall as the fruit ripens
Sweetness and water Lychee flesh is mostly water, and the sweetness comes from simple sugars — sucrose, glucose, fructose. Sweetness rises and acidity falls as the fruit ripens. A red rind with taut tubercles usually marks that stage.
Vitamin C The flesh carries vitamin C. It is a compound that suffers with heat and time, so peeled fruit loses it, and canned fruit reads differently from fresh.
Polyphenols in the rind Analyses report high proanthocyanidin-type polyphenols in the lychee rind. The rind is not the part that is eaten, and this entry stays with the compositional record.
Compounds reported in unripe fruit Analyses report hypoglycin A and MCPG detected in unripe lychee and in the seed, with the same work reporting that levels fall as the fruit ripens. Investigations have been reported from Muzaffarpur in India in connection with children eating large amounts of unripe lychee on an empty stomach. Eat ripe fruit, in moderation, alongside a meal.
Pairings
○ A cold-water dip before peeling — Taken from the fridge and dipped briefly in cold water, the rind lifts cleanly and the flesh stays firm. Press a thumbnail in at the stalk end to open a gap, then peel around.
○ Freezing — Spread peeled, stoned flesh in a single layer and freeze it. Once frozen loose, gather it into a bag and a short summer fruit lasts a long time. Half-thawed it eats like sorbet.
○ Soda water and lime — Flesh in a glass with soda water and lime juice pulls the sweetness into shape. Peeled lychee softens fast, so serve it straight away.
△ Large amounts of unripe fruit on an empty stomach — Avoid eating a lot of unripe lychee while skipping meals. Analyses report hypoglycin A and MCPG detected in unripe fruit and in the seed, and investigations have been reported from Muzaffarpur in India in connection with children eating that way. The old text likewise attached a caution that eating a great deal brings on heat. Eat ripe fruit, in moderation, alongside a meal.
△ The seed — The brown seed at the centre is spat out, not eaten. It is smooth and hard, and swallowed whole it can lodge in the throat, so for a small child peel and stone the fruit first and halve it.
△ Soft fruit weeping juice — A rind browned dry is often only the rind drying, but fruit that gives softly under a finger, weeps juice, or smells sour goes in the bin. The same applies to fruit left peeled for a long time.
Varieties
- Feizixiao (妃子笑) (cultivar) — An early line, picked before the rind has coloured fully red
- Guiwei (桂味) (cultivar) — Sharply pointed rind tubercles and a strong aroma
- Nuomici (糯米糍) (cultivar) — Known for setting a small seed, so the flesh makes up more of the fruit
Source: Donguibogam, Fruit Section 荔枝 · Korean Food Composition Table