Lychee(US: /ˈliːˌtʃiː/ LEE-chee;
UK: /ˈlaɪˌtʃiː/ LIE-chee; Litchi chinensis; Chinese: 荔枝; pinyin: lìzhī; Jyutping: lai6
zi1; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: nāi-chi) is the sole member of the
genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae.
It is a tropical tree
native to the Guangdong, Fujian, and Yunnan provinces of
Southeast and Southwest China, where cultivation is documented from the
11th century.[3] China is the main producer of lychees, followed by India,
other countries in Southeast Asia, the Indian
Subcontinent, Madagascar and South Africa. A
tall evergreen tree, the lychee bears small fleshy fruits. The
outside of the fruit is pink-red, roughly textured, and inedible, covering
sweet flesh eaten in many different dessert dishes.
Litchi chinensis is an
evergreen tree that is frequently less than 15 m (49 ft) tall,
sometimes reaching 28 m (92 ft).[9]
Its evergreen leaves, 5 to 8 in
(12.5–20 cm) long, are pinnate, having 4 to 8 alternate, elliptic-oblong
to lanceolate, abruptly pointed, leaflets,