General Information
Closely allied to the glamorous lychee, in the family Sapindaceae, the longan has been referred to as the “little brother of the lychee”, or li-chihnu, “slave of the lychee”. It thrives much better on higher ground than the lychee and endures more frost. It is rarely found growing along the dykes of streams as is the lychee but does especially well on high ground near ponds. The longan is more seldom grown under orchard conditions than is the lychee. There is not so large a demand for the fruit and the trees therefore more scattered although one often finds attractive groups of lungan. The longan was introduced into India in 1798 but, in Indian literature, it is averred that the longan is native not only to China but also to southwestern India and the forests of upper Assam and the Garo hills, and is cultivated in Bengal and elsewhere as an ornamental and shade tree. It is commonly grown in former Indochina (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and in Taiwan). The tree grows but does not fruit in Malaya and the Philippines. There are many of the trees in Reunion and Mauritius.
History
Native to China and India, Longan fruit is a major crop in Southeast Asia. The Chinese dubbed it “Dragon’s eye” because of its white eye-shaped mark on the pit. The Longan and its close relative the lychee were introduced to the United States by W. N. Brewster, a missionary in Fukien Province, China. Not doing well in cold climates, this tropical tree is often enjoyed as an ornamental shade tree. It produces attractive thick dark evergreen leaves and clusters of drooping fruit. Rather majestic and absolutely gorgeous, this grand tree now grows in America. Since there is a current demand for specialty fruits in the United States, Florida’s compatible climate will most likely help to produce this fruit commercially.
