Litchi chinensis Sonn.
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Description
Litchi chinensis is a medium-sized evergreen tree, usually 10–15 m tall, with a dense rounded crown. The trunk is grey-brown, and branches are spreading. Leaves are paripinnately compound, usually 10–25 cm long, with 4–8 leaflets. Leaflets are leathery, elliptic to lanceolate, 5–15 cm long, glossy dark green above, and entire-margined. Young leaves often appear reddish or bronze. Flowers are small, unisexual, greenish-white to yellowish, arranged in large terminal panicles. Flowers are often functionally male or female, with pollination mainly by insects. The perianth is reduced, stamens are usually 5–10, and the ovary is superior. The fruit is a round to oval drupe-like schizocarp, commonly called a litchi fruit. The outer covering is rough, leathery, and reddish-pink when mature. The edible translucent aril surrounds a single shiny brown seed.
Diagnostic Characters
Distribution
Native range: Native to Southern China.
In Pakistan: Cultivated widely in China, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia. In Pakistan cultivated, Subtropical orchards.
Phenology
Ethnobotany & Uses
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Where it grows on campus
Taxonomic Notes
Litchi chinensis belongs to Sapindaceae, along with economically important plants such as Acer (maples), Sapindus (soapnuts), Nephelium (rambutan). Diagnostic characters Evergreen pinnate leaves, Terminal flower panicles, Rough-skinned edible fruits.