Growth is best on well-drained, slightly ornamental tree as well as for their fruit. acidic soils rich in organic matter. A wide range of cultivars is available, with early and late maturing forms suited to warmer and cooler climates respectively. They are also grown as an
Germinating Lychee seed with its main root (about 3 months old) Lychees are commonly sold fresh in Chinese and southeast Asian markets, and in recent years, also widely in supermarkets worldwide. The red rind turns dark brown when the fruit is refrigerated, but the taste is not affected. It is also sold canned year-round. The fruit can be dried with the rind intact, at which point the flesh shrinks and darkens, somewhat resembling a human earlobe in texture.
Cultivars
There are many different cultivars of lychee, of which three are considered to be the most sought-after.
The "Three Prestigious Cultivars"
Hanging Green: The most famous (and most rare) lychee in existence. It received its name because of the barely noticeable light green hue and green line on the shell. Ancient records have described Hanging Green as "Fresh and crispy as pear, without juice. It can last for three days after the shell is removed". For centuries, Hanging Green is an item of tribute to the imperial government of various dynasties, until people in Canton revolted during the Qianlong era against the tributes and chopped all but one of the Hanging Green trees. The sole remaining tree still produces fruit each year, and fruits from that tree are now called "Zhengcheng Hanging Green".
Sweet Osmanthus Flavour: Named because of the Sweet Osmanthus flavour it contains, this lychee has light red shells, which contains sharp edges. The fruits are described as crispy and sweet. There is a related cultivar, called "Yatou Green". The shell of this cultivar has dark green spots.
Glutinous Rice Ball: Named after its thick fruit meats and sweet (some described the taste as close to honey) flavours. The fresh red shells are not sharp and hard, and the seeds from this cultivar are noticeably smaller than others. Some fruits from this cultivar are seedless.
Other notable cultivars
- Baila
- Baitangen
- Black Leaves: This cultivar matures less than others, and has big meats and seeds. The shell exhibits a dark red tint.
- Huaichi: Literally "Branches [of fruit] in the arms of [a person]", this lychee supposedly received its name when a government official toured Lingnan (mondern day Canton) and placed within his arms lychee branches gifted by local villagers.
- March Red: This lychee matures the earliest, and are usually available annually around May.
- The Concubine Smiles: Famed as the cultivar of lychee Emperor Xuanzong of Tang brought from the edges of the Tang empire to cheer up Yang Guifei, this lychee matures earlier than others, and has a very light red tint on its shells.
- The Jade Purse: Named because of its large fruits and the thick meat within. The seed is small in this cultivar.
History
A major early Chinese historical reference to lychees was made in the Tang Dynasty, when it was the favourite fruit of Emperor Li Longji (Xuanzong)'s favoured concubine Yang Yuhuan (Yang Guifei).
The lychee was first described in the West by Pierre Sonnerat (1748-1814) on a return from his travel to China and Southeast Asia.
It was then introduced to the Réunion Island in 1764 by Joseph-François Charpentier de Cossigny de Palma. Il was later introduced to Madagascar which has become a major producer.
There is a Cantonese saying: "one lychee equals three torches of fire". It refers to the extreme Yang property of the fruit. Over-consumption of lychees is reported[citation needed] to lead to dry lips, nosebleeds, pimples, and mouth ulcers. There have also been reports on Chinese language newspapers on people being sent to hospital for violent nosebleed and/or coughing up blood because of over consumption of Lychee.
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