Nephelium

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Nephelium >

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Read about Nephelium in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Nephelium (an ancient name transferred from the burdock, because of some similarity in the rough fruits). Sapindaceae. Oriental tropical trees, some of them prized for their fr.; species more than 30. Four frs. prized in the Orient have been referred to this genus, the litchi, longan, rambutan and pulassan, the last one not having a general reputation. Recent botanists, however, separate these into the genera Euphoria, Litchi and Nephelium. The characters of separation are: Euphoria. Fr. tubercled with rugose, flattened, sometimes indistinct tubercles; aril free; embryo straight, radicle at the base of the seed: petals present; sepals imbricate: includes the longan or long- yen (E. Longana, Lem. Nephelium Longana, Cambess. See Euphoria). Litchi. Fr. tubercled with angular prominent tubercles; aril free; embryo straight, radicle at the base of the seed: petals wanting; sepals valvate, small: includes the litchi (Litchi chinensis, Sonn. Nephelium Litchi, Cambess. See Litchi). Nephelium. Fr. echinate-muncate, sometimes smooth; aril adnate to the seed; embryo curved, the radicle near the apex of the seed: petals wanting, in some species present; sepals valvate, small. The three species mentioned above may be distinguished by the lvs. as follows: The longan has usually 4 pairs (2-5) of lfts., coriaceous, strongly veined, acuminate but more or less obtuse at point, 2-4 in. or more long; the litchi has usually 3 pairs of lfts., coriaceous, indistinctly veined, glaucous beneath, obtusely acuminate, 2-5 in. long; the rambutan has usually 2-3 or more pairs of lfts., chartaceous, strongly veined, often obtuse, 3 ½ -7 in. long; the midrib is somewhat raised above, impressed in the two preceding species. The longan is offered both in S. Fla. and S. Calif. It is said to have been intro. in Calif, probably 25 years ago; it is also reported that the litchi and Alectryon excelsum have been sold for the longan. The rambutan, pulassan and longan. The rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum, Linn.) and the pulassan (N. mutabile, Blume) are commonly cultivated in the Malay archipelago, where they appear to be indigenous. The longan (N. Longana or Euphoria, Longana), said by De Candolle to be a native of India, is considerably hardier than the first two, and is found as far north as southern China, where it is rather extensively grown. The rambutan is seen in almost every garden about Singapore and Penang, and its fruit is one of the most delicious of the region. The tree, which grows to a height of 35 or 40 feet, is erect and stately in appearance, with compound leaves composed of five to seven pairs of oblong leaflets about 4 inches long. It is commonly stated that there are eight or ten varieties of the rambutan, but these appear to differ very little from one another, and are rarely propagated by grafting or layering. The fruits are produced in terminal clusters of not more than ten or twelve, and individually are the size of a small hen's egg, oval in form, and covered with soft fleshy spines ½ inch in length. The color is bright crimson, occasionally greenish or shaded with orange. The pericarp is thin and leathery; to eat the fruit the basal end is torn off, exposing the whitish, translucent juicy pulp or aril, which, with a slight pressure on the apical end of the fruit, slides into the mouth. The flavor is acidulous, somewhat suggesting the grape, and generally considered by Europeans very pleasant, though not equal to that of its relative, the litchi. An oblong flattened seed nearly 1 inch in length is inclosed by the aril. The pulassan is often confused with the rambutan, which it greatly resembles, but is distinguished by the shorter blunt spines and the aril separating more readily from the seed. The flavor is sweeter and generally preferred to that of the rambutan. It is not known that either of these species has ever fruited in tropical America, their culture being limited, practically speaking, to southern Asia. They are usually grown from seed, but layering and grafting are often used to perpetuate choice seedlings. The gootee method, described under Litchi, is successful. The longan, called by the French "oeil de dragon," or dragon's eye, greatly resembles the litchi except in its smaller size and inferior flavor. It ripens later than the litchi and is very popular among the Chinese, quantities of the fruit being sold in Hong Kong and Canton during late summer. It has been introduced to the United States and planted in both Florida and California, where it fruits abundantly and appears to thrive, when grown in locations which are protected from severe frosts. The fruits, which are produced in large terminal clusters, are ½ inch in diameter, spherical, with a thin leathery pericarp and whitish, gelatinous pulp or aril inclosing a shiny brown seed the size of a bean. The flavor is generally considered rather insipid. As a stock on which to bud the more tender litchi the longan may have considerable value, although its growth is rather slow. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

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