Lychee
Litchi chinensis
Handsome medium to large evergreen tree grown for delicious refreshing fruit. In warm climates tree reach 10-14m height and width.
LYCHEE CULTURAL NOTES
FEATURES: Glossy deep green compound leaves each with 2-5 paired leaflets. Large clusters of hundreds of tiny white or yellowish flowers produce a mildly unpleasant scent when in full flower. Fruit forms in clusters of 1-40+ and is single seeded with smooth translucent sweet and juicy flesh. The skin of the fruit is an attractive pinky orange and textured. Fruit are sweet smelling and red when ripe and skin becomes thin and brown when over-ripe.
CONDITIONS: Best in warm climates with a coo
l Winter and a dry Autumn/Winter. A period of temperatures between -1 'C and 4'C enhances fruit production. (Where temperatures never fall below 1 O'C fruit is not formed) Young trees cannot withstand -2'C. Best in humid conditions in good fertile free draining soils in a site protected from strong wind. During flowering cool dry conditions are required and soil must not be allowed to dry out after fruit has set. Fruit is produced on 3-4 year old trees and heavy crops of up to 45kg of fruit on 7-8 year old trees. Fruit is eaten fresh.
Pruning involves removal of crowded branches and clipping off the whole fruit panicle, (or cluster) when ripe.
- Wai Chi - Bengal
- Bosworth - No Mai Tze
