8,743
edits
Changes
From Gardenology.org - Plant Encyclopedia and Gardening Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to searchno edit summary
{{Inc|
Litchi (Chinese name). Sapindaceae. One species in China, and cultivated elsewhere for its edible fruit.
By some botanists included in Nephelium, but the definition is probably clearer if Litchi and Euphoria are kept distinct, both of which differ from Nephelium in having the seed-covering or arillus free from the seed rather than grown to it.
Culture of the Litchi
Of the numerous fruits cultivated in south China, the litchi (Litchi chinensis) is one of the most highly esteemed, both by natives and Europeans. It is considered indigenous to the region, but has been in cultivation since a remote day, and lends itself to a wider variety of uses than many other tropical fruits. As a dried fruit it is well known, and is shipped to the United States and other occidental countries, while a considerable quantity is preserved in syrup and exported. Like most other fruits, however, it is considered most delicious when fresh.
Its cultivation is not limited to South China and the adjoining regions. In parts of India it is very well known, especially in the section north of Calcutta, while it is also grown to a limited extent in northeastern Australia, Formosa, southern Japan. Hawaii, the West Indies, Brazil, and other regions. It is said to have been introduced to Florida in 1886, but so far as known, has not yet fruited in that state, although in certain sections the climate and soil seem well adapted to its culture. It bloomed at Tampa in 1914 and 1915, but the trees were young and failed to carry any of their fruit to maturity. In California it has been grown successfully only in the most protected locations. The first fruits ripened in that state were produced at Santa Barbara in 1914. The litchi is quite susceptible to frost when young, but mature trees will withstand several degrees of freezing without permanent injury.
The litchi is a small to medium-sized tree, usually spreading in habit, with a dense head of bright green foliage. The leaves are compound, with two or three pairs of elliptical to lanceolate leaflets 2 to 3 inches in length. In India it is said to flower in February, in China during April, ripening its fruits about the first of May in the one case and during July in the other. The flowers are small and inconspicuous, but are produced in great abundance in terminal panicles.
The fruits, which are borne in loose clusters of two or three to twenty or even more, have been likened to large strawberries in appearance. In shape they are oval to ovate, in diameter 1½ inches in the better varieties, and in color deep rose when fully ripe, changing to dull brown as the fruit dries. The outer covering is hard and brittle, rough on the surface and divided into small scale-like areas, from which short conical protuberances usually arise. The seed is small and shrivelled in the grafted varieties, but in seedlings is as large as a good-sized castor bean; surrounding it, and separating from it readily, is the edible part, in reality the aril, which is translucent, whitish, juicy, and of firm texture. In flavor it is subacid, strongly suggestive of the Royal Ann cherry, especially when cooked. Firminger says it is "as delicious, perhaps, as that of any fruit in existence." The fruit is dried just as it comes from the tree, the aril shrinking away from the thin outer shell and remaining as a rather tough layer around the seed. In this form the litchi is occasionally seen on fruit- stands of American cities; the flavor bears little resemblance to that of the fresh fruit, having been likened to that of raisins.
In China the litchi is said to succeed best when planted on deep rich soil near the bank of an irrigating-canal. A soil rich in humus is by far the best, and there should be an abundance of water for irrigating purposes. From the fact that the tree does well in parts of northern India where the rainfall is not more than 40 inches per annum, it does not appear that a very humid atmosphere is necessary, provided there is ample water for irrigation. The trees should be set about 25 feet apart, and require very little pruning. It is sometimes necessary to thin the young fruits, leaving no more in a cluster than the tree can properly mature; this results in larger and finer fruit. Seedlings do not come into bearing until seven to nine years of age, but trees propagated by layering or grafting usually commence to bear at three to five years. Fertilizing is said to be extensively practised by the Chinese, an application of liquid manure being given once in every three or four months.
The gootee method of propagation, as it is known in the Orient, is the method most commonly employed by the Chinese, and is used in India as well. A healthy, well-matured branch is chosen, and a narrow ring of bark removed just below a leaf-bud or node. Around this is formed a ball of clay soil, with an outer covering of coconut fiber, tow, or moss, to hold it together. A little above the ball a good-sized flower-pot or earthen vessel is suspended, and a piece of soft rope is inserted through the small hole in the bottom. The rope should fit the hole snugly, and is knotted on the inside; it is then carried to the gootee, and wound around the ball several times. The water trickles from the pot, which should be filled every day or two, and after running slowly down the rope is distributed over the gootee, keeping it uniformly moist. The gootee is made in spring, from February to April, depending upon climatic conditions, and at least three or four months are required for roots to form. When the ball is filled with roots and they begin to show on the surface, the branch is severed from the tree and planted in its permanent location in the orchard.
In India, layering is often practised, the outer ends of branches being laid across flats of soil suspended upon a light framework of poles. After a notch is made in the under side of the branch, it is covered with soil for a distance of several inches, and kept moist by frequent waterings. Inarching is also practised, the method being the same as for the mango. Seedling litchis are generally used for stocks. The litchi can be grafted on its near relative the longan (Euphoria Longana), but it takes a longer time to effect a union, and it is believed that the tree grows more slowly than when on litchi stock.
The amount of variation among seedling litchis is considerable; hence the best varieties can be propagated only by some vegetative means, though seedlings are often grown. Grafting and layering have not only the advantage of reproducing a known variety, but trees so propagated come into bearing several years earlier than seedlings. Seeds should be sown as soon as possible after their removal from the fruit, as they do not long retain their vitality.
The Chinese cultivate several named varieties, and there are at least eight known in India, of which the best are said to be McLean's and Bedana ("seedless"), the latter having a very small stone which is usually sterile. Firminger mentions one variety in India which is green in color and of a distinct and very sweet flavor.
}}
__NOTOC__{{Plantbox
__NOTOC__{{Plantbox
| name = ''Litchi chinensis''
| name = ''Litchi chinensis''
