Litchi Species, Chinese Lychee, Lumquat

Litchichinensis

Family
Sapindaceae (sap-in-DAY-see-ee)
Genus
Litchi (LEE-chee)
Species
chinensis (chi-NEN-sis)
Synonym
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Sun to Partial Shade
Foliage
Evergreen
Textured
Height
30-40 ft. (9-12 m)
over 40 ft. (12 m)
Spacing
15-20 ft. (4.7-6 m)
Hardiness
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)
Bloom Color
Inconspicuous/none
Bloom Time
Mid Spring
Other Details
Category
Edible Fruits and Nuts
Trees
Water Requirements
Foliage Color
Where to Grow
Bloom Characteristics
Flowers are fragrant
Bloom Size
Other details
Soil pH requirements
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
Patent Information
Non-patented
Propagation Methods
From seed; sow indoors before last frost
By grafting
By air layering
Seed Collecting
Allow unblemished fruit to ripen; clean and dry seeds
Regional

This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:

Fresno, California

Upland, California

Kissimmee, Florida

Merritt Island, Florida(2 reports)

Miami, Florida

Rockledge, Florida

Sarasota, Florida

Sebring, Florida

Venice, Florida

Snellville, Georgia

Honomu, Hawaii

Brookings, Oregon

Harbor, Oregon

Grenoble, Rhône-Alpes

Lenoir City, Tennessee

Houston, Texas

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Featured Videos

Gardener's Notes:

7
positives
2
neutrals
0
negative
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T
| March 2009 | positive

Here in Mauritius we have many of these. Also there is cultivar named Mauritius. Easily grown from seed or air-layering or even grafted....Read More

V
(Zone 8a) | January 2009 | positive

Delicious fruit, tree will not survive in my area w/o a whole lot of winter TLC or a greenhouse.

T
Houston, TX (Zone 9a) | August 2006 | positive

We love Lychee. My wife buys them by the pounds at the grocery store. We literally throw the seeds out into our garden and they grow. ...Read More

G
Seattle, WA | July 2006 | neutral

The dictionaries (onelook.com) list the pronunciation as lee-chee like the davesgarden listing at the top of the page does, vs. lie-chee.

S
Fulton, MO | June 2006 | positive

I grow smaller lychees in a zone 5 greenhouse. I thought I would add my "lessons learned" under the species, but I grow 'Brewster' and '...Read More

P
Kailua, HI (Zone 11) | July 2004 | positive

if all you've ever tasted is canned lychee (yuck), you haven't tasted the bit of heaven fresh lychee is. When lucky I get a box from my ...Read More

F
Honomu, HI (Zone 11) | June 2004 | positive

Lychee are pronounced Lie-chee, not Lee-chee........It grows very well in Hawaii. This year the crops seem to be especially large and th...Read More

T
Rockledge, FL (Zone 10a) | June 2004 | neutral

If you search for Litchi chinensis, you would find that there are postings already for the top 6 varieties of Lychee,

Kwai...Read More

J
Sebring, FL (Zone 9b) | June 2004 | positive

I can not believe no one has posted a positive note on this tree and it's World renowed fruit, that bestows an addictive flavor that make...Read More

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