Lychee

Lychee, or Litchi chinensis, is a tropical fruit tree in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It originated in southern China, where it has been cultivated for centuries, and it is now grown in other warm regions of Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania. Small flowers grow in branched clusters, followed by bunches of fruit.

A ripe lychee has a thin, rough skin that is usually pink to red. Beneath it is a white or translucent, juicy flesh called an aril, which is the part normally eaten. The aril surrounds one large, smooth seed, generally brown, which is not considered edible. The tree is evergreen and can reach several metres in height.

Lychee is commonly eaten fresh after the skin and seed are removed. It is also used in fruit salads, desserts and drinks, and may be canned or dried. Its flavour is usually sweet and floral, although varieties and ripeness affect it.

The fruit contains a lot of water and provides carbohydrates and vitamin C, along with smaller amounts of minerals and other plant compounds. Eating ripe fruit is preferable to eating large amounts of unripe lychee, because substances in unripe fruit have been linked to illness, especially in children who eat it on an empty stomach.