Publication
from Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide
version 4.0
by C. Orwa, A. Mutua, R. Kindt, R. Jamnadass and S. Anthony
Litchi chinensis Sonn.
Local Names: Bengali (lichi);
Chinese (lizi, jingli, huoshan, danli); English (lychee
nut, litchi, lychee); French (quenèpe chinois, quenepier chinois, litchi de
chine, litchi, cerisier de la Chine); German (Chinesische
Haselnuß, litchipflaume); Hindi (lici, licy, lichi); Indonesian
(klengkeng litsi, kalengkeng); Javanese (klengkeng); Khmer (kuléén); Lao
(Sino-Tibetan) (ngèèw); Malay (laici, kelengkang); Spanish (leché);
Trade name (lichi, lychee); Vietnamese (vai, cây vai, tu hú)
Family: Sapindaceae
Botanic
Description
Litchi chinensis is a
handsome, dense, round-topped tree with a smooth, grey, trunk and
limbs. Under ideal conditions it may reach 12 m high, but is usually
much smaller.
Leaves leathery, pinnate, divided into 4-8 pairs
of elliptic or lanceolate, acuminate, glabrous leaflets, 5-7 cm long,
reddish when young, becoming shiny and bright green.
Inflorescence
a many-branched panicle, 5-30 cm long, many flowered; flowers small,
yellowish-white, functionally male or female; calyx tetramerous;
corolla absent.
Fruit covered by a rough leathery rind or
pericarp, pink to strawberry red. Fruit oval, heart shaped or nearly
round, 2.5 cm or more in diameter. The edible portion or aril is white,
translucent, firm and juicy. Flavour sweet, fragrant and delicious.
Inside the aril is a seed that varies considerably in size. The most
desirable varieties contain atrophied seeds called ‘chicken tongue’.
These are very small, up to 1 cm in length. Larger seeds vary between 1
and 2 cm in length and are plumper than the chicken tongues. There is
also a distinction between the lychee that leaks juice when the skin is
broken and the ‘dry and clean’ varieties that are more desirable.
The specific name, ‘chinensis’, is Latin for ‘Chinese’.
Biology
L. chinensis
requires seasonal temperature variations for best flowering and
fruiting. Warm, humid summers are best for flowering and fruit
development, and a certain amount of winter chilling is necessary for
flower-bud development. Usually male flowers appear first, then the
females and imperfect bisexual flowers. Pollination is effected by a
number of insects including flies, ants and wasps, but bees are very
effective.
Ecology
L. chinensis
is one of the most environmentally sensitive of the tropical tree
crops. It is adapted to the tropics and warm subtropics, producing best
in regions with winters that are short, dry and cool but frost free,
and summers that are long and hot with high rainfall. Good protection
from wind is essential for cropping. Year-to-year variations in weather
precipitate crop failures, for example, through untimely rain promoting
flushing at the expense of floral development, or through poor fruit
set following damp weather during bloom.
Biophysical
Limits
Mean annual temperature: 20-25 deg. C, Mean annual rainfall: 1500 mm
Soil
type: The tree needs well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter.
A soil pH between 5.5 and 7.5 is acceptable, but plants grow much
better in soils with a pH at the low end of this range.
Documented
Species Distribution
Native: China, Malaysia, Vietnam
Exotic: Australia,
Brazil, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Madagascar, Mauritius,
Mexico, Myanmar, New Zealand, Reunion, South Africa, Taiwan, Province
of China, Thailand, US, Zanzibar
The
map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does
neither suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological
zone within that country, nor that the species can not be planted in
other countries than those depicted. Since some tree species are
invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to your
planting site.
Products
Food: The juicy aril is the
edible part of the lychee. It may be eaten fresh or juiced, preserved
in syrup and canned, dried or frozen. Lychee nuts are fruit that has
been dried, either artificially or in the sun. The food value of lychee
lies in its sugar content, which ranges from 7 to 21%, depending on
climate and cultivar. Fruit also contains about 0.7% protein, 0.3% fat,
0.7% minerals (particularly calcium and phosphorus) and is a reasonable
source of vitamins C (64 mg/100 g pulp), A, B1 and B2. The strong
appeal of lychee lies in the exquisite aroma of the fruit.
Apiculture: This tree is
widely grown for instance in Singapore and Mauritius as a major honey
source. The honey is of excellent quality and flavour.
Timber: The wood is said to be nearly indestructible, although it is brittle and has few uses.
Tannin or
dyestuff: Bark contains tannin.
Medicine: The fruit, its peel
and the seed are used in traditional medicine; decoctions of the root,
bark and flowers are used as a gargle. Seeds are used as an anodyne in
neuralgic disorders and orchitis.
Alcohol: Lychee fruit can be processed into wine.
Services
L. chinensis trees are
beautiful in spring, when they are covered with huge sprays of flowers;
they are also an attractive sight when in full fruit. These
characteristics make it a popular ornamental tree in parks and gardens.
Tree
Management
L. chinensis
needs full sun, but young trees must be protected from heat, frost and
high winds. The trees need warmth and a frost-free environment but can
often withstand light freezes with some kind of overhead protection.
When plants are young, shelter can be provided by building a frame
around them and covering it with straw or plastic sheeting. Electric
light bulbs can also be used for added warmth.
The trees will
not tolerate standing water but require very moist soil, so they should
be watered regularly when growing actively. The trees are very
sensitive to damage from salts in the soil or in water. The soil should
be leached regularly in saline soil areas. Chelated iron and sulphur
may be necessary in areas with alkaline soils. Young trees should
receive only light applications of a complete fertilizer. Mature trees
are heavier feeders and should be fertilized regularly.
Cincturing
has been used commercially in China, Thailand, Australia, Florida and
Hawaii to impose shoot rest and improve flowering and fruiting. Trees
are cinctured after completion of the postharvest flush, if they are
healthy and flushed actively. Young trees are pruned to establish a
strong, permanent structure for easy harvest. After that, removing
crossing or damaged branches is all that is necessary, although the
trees can be pruned more heavily to control size; V-shaped crotches
should be avoided because of the wood’s brittle nature.
Growing L. chinensis
from seed needs care and promptness, because seeds soon lose their
viability if permitted to dry after removal from the fruit. The seeds
germinate without pretreatment when sown fresh. Young seedlings grow
vigorously until they reach 24-30 cm.
Air-layering is the most
common method of propagation, and rates of success are usually not less
than 95%. Other methods of propagation include grafting (useful for
top-working older trees), budding and use of cuttings (for the rapid
multiplication of new cultivars). Incompatibility occurs in some scion
and root-stock combinations. Wedge and bud grafts are possible, but
seldom used.
L. chinensis is one of the
most environmentally sensitive of the tropical tree crops. It is
adapted to the tropics and warm subtropics, producing best in regions
with winters that are short, dry and cool but frost free, and summers
that are long and hot with high rainfall. Good protection from wind is
essential for cropping. Year-to-year variations in weather precipitate
crop failures, for example, through untimely rain promoting flushing at
the expense of floral development, or through poor fruit set following
damp weather during bloom.
Germplasm
Management
Seed storage behaviour is recalcitrant; storing seed in moist peat moss
at 8 deg. C is recommended. Viability is reduced from 100% to less than
20% on desiccation to about 20% mc, and no seeds remain viable when mc
is reduced below this value. There is complete loss in viability after
7 days of open storage at 30 deg. C; however, viability of seed stored
moist at 5 deg. C was maintained for 60 and at 30 deg. C for 100 days.
Germination rate was 92% after 7 weeks of moist storage at 8-10 deg. C
with 100% rh and with 80% nitrous oxide plus 20% oxygen; 69% after 280
days moist storage at 15 deg. C in moist (20% mc) perlite, plus
chlorthalonil. Excised embryonic axes tolerate desiccation to 30% mc.
Seeds extracted from fruit harvested at 98 days after anthesis are more
tolerant of desiccation than those from overripe or immature fruit.
Pests and
Diseases
Mites, scale insects and aphids occasionally infest L. chinensis.
Both immature and ripe fruit attract birds, so it may be necessary to
cover the plants with protective netting. Other pests include the
macadamia-nut borer, macadamia-flower caterpillar, fruit fly, fruit
bats and erisone mites. A parasitic alga (Cephaleuros spp.) occasionally attacks trees, causing loss of vigour. Diseases recorded include bark canker and brown leaf felting.
Further
Reading
Anon. 1986. The useful plants of India. Publications & Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi, India.
Crane E, Walker P. 1984. Pollination directory for world crops. International Bee Research Association, London, UK.
FAO. 1982. Fruit-bearing forest trees: technical notes. FAO-Forestry-Paper. No. 34. 177 pp.
Glenn T. 1987. Tropical fruit: an Australian guide to growing and using exotic fruits. Penguin Books Australia.
Hong TD, Linington S, Ellis RH. 1996. Seed storage behaviour: a compendium. Handbooks for Genebanks: No. 4. IPGRI.
International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR). 1986. Genetic Resources of Tropical and sub-Tropical Fruits and Nuts.
Lanzara P. and Pizzetti M. 1978. Simon & Schuster's Guide to Trees. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Lemmens
RHMJ, Soerianegara I, Wong WC (eds.). 1995. Plant Resources of
South-east Asia. No 5(2). Timber trees: minor commercial timbers.
Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.
Luna RK. 1996. Plantation trees. International Book Distributors, Dehra Dun, India.
Nicholson B.E, Harrison S.G, Masefield G.B & Wallis M. 1969. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press.
Verheij
EWM, Coronel RE (eds.). 1991. Plant Resources of South East Asia No 2.
Edible fruits and nuts. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.
Williams R.O & OBE. 1949. The useful and ornamental plants in Zanzibar and Pemba. Zanzibar Protectorate.
Young JA, Young CG. 1992. Seeds of woody plants in North America. Dioscorides Press, Oregon, USA.
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