Lychees

Lychee
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Lychee

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae

(unranked): Angiosperms

(unranked): Eudicots

(unranked): Rosids

Order: Sapindales

Family: Sapindaceae

Subfamily: Sapindoideae

Genus: Litchi
Sonn.
Species: L. chinensis

Binomial name
Litchi chinensis
Sonn.[1]

The lychee (Litchi chinensis, and commonly called leechi, litchi, laichi, lichu) (Hindi: लीची, līchī) (Chinese:荔枝, lizhi) is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to China, and now cultivated in many parts of the world. The fresh fruit has a "delicate, whitish pulp" with a "perfume" flavor that is lost in canning, so the fruit is mostly eaten fresh.[2]

Lychee is an evergreen tree, reaching 10–20 m tall, bearing fleshy fruits that are up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long and 4 cm (1.6 in) wide. The outside of the fruit is covered by a pink-red, roughly-textured rind that is inedible but easily removed to expose a layer of sweet, translucent white flesh. Lychees are eaten in many different dessert dishes, and are especially popular in China, throughout South-East Asia, along with South Asia.[2][3]
Contents [hide]
1 Taxonomy
2 Description
3 History
4 Cultivation and uses
5 Cultivars
6 Nutritional Facts
7 Cultivars
8 See also
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links

[edit] Taxonomy

Pierre Sonnerat's drawing from Voyage aux Indes Orientales et à la Chine (1782)Litchi chinensis was described and named by Pierre Sonnerat in his Voyage aux Indes orientales et à la Chine, fait depuis 1774 jusqu'à 1781 (1782). There are three subspecies, determined by flower arrangement, twig thickness, fruit, and number of stamens.

Litchi chinensis subsp. chinensis is the only commercialized lychee. It grows wild in southern China, northern Vietnam, and Cambodia. It has thin twigs, flowers typically have six stamens, fruit are smooth or with protuberances up to 2 mm.
Litchi chinensis subsp. philippinensis (Radlk.) Leenh. It is common in the wild in Phillippines and Papua New Guinea and rarely cultivated. It has thin twigs, six to seven stamens, long oval fruit with spiky protuberances up to 3 mm.
Litchi chinensis subsp. javensis. It is only known in cultivation, in Malaysia and Indonesia. It has thick twigs, flowers with seven to eleven stamens in sessile clusters, smooth fruit with protuberances up to 1 mm.[5]
[edit] Description

Litchi chinensis flowers.L. chinensis is an evergreen tree that is frequently less than 10 m (33 ft) tall, sometimes reaching more than 15 m (49 ft). The bark is grey-black, the branches a brownish-red. Leaves are 10 to 25 cm (3.9 to 9.8 in) or longer, with leaflets in 2-4 pairs.[6] Flowers grow on a terminal inflorescence with many panicles on the current season's growth. The panicles grow in clusters of ten or more, reaching 10 to 40 cm (3.9 to 16 in) or longer, holding hundreds of small white, yellow, or green flowers that are distinctively fragrant.[5]

History

Leaves & flowers at Samsing in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India.Cultivation of Lychee began in the region of southern China, Malaysia, and northern Vietnam. Wild trees still grow in rainforest in Guangdong province and on Hainan Island. Unofficial records in China refer to Lychee as far back as 2000 BCE.[7]

In the 1st century, fresh lychees were in such demand at the Imperial Court, that a special courier service with fast horses would bring the fresh fruit from Canton. There was great demand for lychee in the Sung Dynasty (960-1279ACE), according to Ts'ai Hsiang, in his Li chi pu (Treatise on Lychees). It was also the favourite fruit of Emperor Li Longji (Xuanzong)'s favoured concubine Yang Yuhuan (Yang Guifei). The emperor had the fruit delivered at great expense to the capital.[2]

In the Chinese classical work, Shanglin Fu, it is related that the alternate name, meaning leaving its branches, is so-called because once the fruit is picked it deteriorates quickly.
Cultivation and uses

Lychees, showing a peeled fruit
Germinating Lychee seed with its main root.(about 3 months old)
A normal-sized seed(left) and a small-sized (Chicken tongue) seed(right)Lychees are extensively grown in China, and also elsewhere in South-East Asia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, southern Japan, and more recently in California, Hawaii, Texas, Florida,[8] the wetter areas of eastern Australia and sub-tropical regions of South Africa, Israel and also in the states of Sinaloa and San Luis Potosí (specifically, in La Huasteca) in Mexico. They require a warm subtropical to tropical climate that is cool but also frost-free or with only very slight winter frosts not below -4°C, and with high summer heat, rainfall, and humidity. Growth is best on well-drained, slightly 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 ornamental tree as well as for their fruit.
Cultivars
There are numerous lychee cultivars, with considerable confusion regarding their naming and identification. The same cultivar grown in different climates can produce very different fruit. Cultivars can also have different synonyms in various parts of the world. Southeast Asian countries, along with Australia, use the original Chinese names for the main cultivars. India grows more than a dozen different cultivars. South Africa grows mainly the 'Mauritius' cultivar. Most cultivars grown in the United States were imported from China, except for the 'Groff', which was developed in the state of Hawaii.[3]

Different cultivars of lychee are popular in the varying growing regions and countries. In China, popular cultivars include: Sanyuehong, Baitangying, Baila, Shuidong, Feizixiao, Dazou, Heiye, Nuomici, Guiwei
Nutritional Facts
Lychee (edible parts) Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 276 kJ (66 kcal)
Carbohydrates 16.5 g
Dietary fiber 1.3 g
Fat 0.4 g
Protein 0.8 g
Vitamin C 72 mg (120%)
Calcium 5 mg (1%)
Magnesium 10 mg (3%)
Phosphorus 31 mg (4%)
Edible parts are 60% of total weight
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient database

The Lychee contains on average a total 72 mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams of fruit.[10] On average nine lychee fruits would meet an adult’s daily recommended Vitamin C requirement.

A cup of Lychee fruit provides, among other minerals, for a 2000 Calorie diet, 14%DV of copper, 9%DV of phosphorus, and 6%DV of potassium.

Lychees are low in saturated fat and sodium and are cholesterol free (like all plant-based foods) . Most of the energy in a lychee is in the form of carbohydrate (sugar). Lychees are high in polyphenols, containing 15% more than grapes, a fruit commonly referenced as high in polyphenols.[11]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee