Lychee

The lychee (Litchi chinesis, and commonly called leech or litchi) is the sole member of the genus Litchi in soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to China. It is 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. From a substance in the seeds soap can be produced. Lychees made their way to the United States around the turn of the 20th century when young lychee trees were imported to Florida. Today the majority of lychees is cultivated in South-East Asia. In the US they can be grown in Florida,Hawaii,Texas and California. The lychee is very popular commercially because it bears fruits quite reliably. It can grow to be as tall as 25 meters high with a spread of 15 meters. Their fruiting season begins in June and ends at the beginning of July.