View source for Lychee

{{Short description|Species of fruit tree}}
{{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc|display-authors=3}}
{{Redirect|Lichi}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Litchi chinensis fruits.JPG
| image_caption =
| display_parents = 2
| genus = Litchi
| parent_authority = [[Pierre Sonnerat|Sonn.]]
| species = chinensis
| authority = [[Pierre Sonnerat|Sonn.]]<ref name="GRIN">{{GRIN | access-date=19 January 2010}}</ref>
| synonyms = <!-- some, not all -->
* ''Corvinia litschi'' <small>Stadtm. ex P.Willemet </small>
* ''Euphoria didyma'' <small>Blanco</small>
* ''Euphoria punicea'' <small>Lam.</small>
* ''Litchi sinensis'' <small>J.F.Gmel.</small>
* ''Nephelium chinense'' <small>(Sonn.) Druce</small>
* ''Nephelium didymum'' <small>Craib</small>
* ''Scytalia chinensis'' <small>Gaertn.</small>
* ''Scytalia squamosa'' <small>Stokes</small>
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000446283 |title=''Litchi chinensis'' (Thunb.) H.Deane |date=2022 |website= World Flora Online |publisher= World Flora Consortium |access-date=17 December 2022}}</ref>
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| c = 荔枝
| p = Lìzhī
| w = Li<sup>4</sup>-chih<sup>1</sup>
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|l|i|4|.|zhi|1}}
| gr = Lihjy
| j = Lai<sup>6</sup>-zi<sup>1</sup>
| y = Laihjī
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|l|ai|6|.|z|i|1}}
| tl = Nāi/Lāi-tsi
| poj = Nāi/Lāi-chi
}}

'''Lychee'''<ref>Also sometimes spelled ''litchi'', ''liechee'', ''liche'', ''lizhi'', ''li zhi'', or ''lichee''.</ref> ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|aɪ|tʃ|iː}} {{respell|LIE|chee}}, {{IPAc-en|Usalso|ˈ|l|iː|tʃ|iː}} {{respell|LEE|chee}}; '''''Litchi chinensis'''''; {{zh|c={{linktext|荔枝}}|p=lìzhī|j=lai6 zi1|poj=nāi-chi}}) is a [[monotypic taxon]] and the sole member in the genus '''''Litchi''''' in the [[Sapindus|soapberry]] family, [[Sapindaceae]].
The fruit is edible and has a sweet, mildly tart flavor and a distinctive floral aroma often described as rose-like. 

There are three distinct subspecies of lychee. The most common is the Indochinese lychee found in [[South China]], [[Malaysia]], and northern [[Vietnam]]. The other two are the Philippine lychee (locally called ''alupag'' or ''matamata'') found only in the [[Philippines]] and the Javanese lychee cultivated in [[Indonesia]] and [[Malaysia]].<ref name="Purdue">{{cite book |last1=Morton |first1=J.F. |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/lychee.html |title=Lychee. In: Fruits of Warm Climates |date=1987 |publisher=Center for New Crops and Plant Products, Purdue University, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture |location=West Lafayette, Indiana, USA |pages=249–259 |access-date=30 October 2013}}</ref><ref name=kew/> The tree has been introduced throughout Southeast Asia and [[South Asia]].<ref name="kew">{{cite web | url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:783539-1 | title=''Litchi chinensis'' Sonn. &#124; Plants of the World Online &#124; Kew Science }}</ref> Cultivation in China is documented from the 11th century.<ref name="Purdue" /> China is the main producer of lychees, followed by [[India]], Vietnam, other countries in Southeast Asia, other countries in [[South Asia]], [[Madagascar]], and [[South Africa]]. A tall [[evergreen]] tree, it bears small fleshy sweet [[Drupe|fruits]]. The outside of the fruit is a pink-red, rough-textured soft shell.

Lychee seeds contain [[Methylene cyclopropyl acetic acid|methylene cyclopropyl glycine]] which has caused [[hypoglycemia]] associated with outbreaks of [[encephalopathy]] in undernourished Indian and Vietnamese children who consumed lychee fruit.<ref name="lancet">{{cite journal|journal=The Lancet|volume=Online, 30 January 2017|issue=4|vauthors=Spencer PS, Palmer VS|title=The enigma of litchi toxicity: an emerging health concern in southern Asia|doi=10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30046-3|pmid=28153516|year=2017|pages=e383–e384|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="lancet2">{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30035-9|pmid=28153514|journal=The Lancet|volume=30 January 2017 (online)|issue=4|title=Association of acute toxic encephalopathy with lychee consumption in an outbreak in Muzaffarpur, India, 2014: a case-control study |author=Aakash Shrivastava |author2=Anil Kumar |author3=Jerry D Thomas |author4=Kayla F Laserson |author5=Gyan Bhushan |author6=Melissa D Carter |author7=Mala Chhabra |author8=Veena Mittal |author9=Shashi Khare |author10=James J Sejvar |author11=Mayank Dwivedi |author12=Samantha L Isenberg |author13=Rudolph Johnson |author14=James L Pirkle |author15=Jon D Sharer |author16=Patricia L Hall |author17=Rajesh Yadav |author18=Anoop Velayudhan |author19=Mohan Papanna |author20=Pankaj Singh |author21=D Somashekar |author22=Arghya Pradhan |author23=Kapil Goel |author24=Rajesh Pandey |author25=Mohan Kumar |author26=Satish Kumar |author27=Amit Chakrabarti |author28=P Sivaperumal |author29=A Ramesh Kumar |author30=Joshua G Schier |author31=Arthur Chang |author32=Leigh Ann Graham |author33=Thomas P Mathews |author34=Darryl Johnson |author35=Liza Valentin |author36=Kathleen L Caldwell |author37=Jeffery M Jarrett |author38=Leslie A Harden |author39=Gary R Takeoka |author40=Suxiang Tong |author41=Krista Queen |author42=Clinton Paden |author43=Anne Whitney |author44=Dana L Haberling |author45=Ram Singh |author46=Ravi Shankar Singh |author47=Kenneth C Earhart |author48=A C Dhariwal |author49=L S Chauhan |author50=S Venkatesh |author51=Padmini Srikantiah |year=2017 |pages=e458–e466 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Taxonomy ==

[[File:Sonnerat litchi.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Pierre Sonnerat]]'s drawing from ''Voyage aux Indes Orientales et à la Chine'' (1782)<ref name="Sonnerat">Sonnerat, P. (1782) Voyage aux Indes Orientales et à la Chine, fait par ordre du Roi, depuis 1774 jusqu'en 1781. Tome second, p. 230. Paris.</ref>]]

''Litchi chinensis''  is the [[Monotypic taxon|sole member]] of the genus ''Litchi'' in the [[Sapindus|soapberry]] family, [[Sapindaceae]].<ref name=Purdue/>

It was described and named by French naturalist [[Pierre Sonnerat]] in his account "''Voyage aux Indes Orientales et à la Chine, fait depuis 1774 jusqu'à 1781''" (translation: "Voyage to the East Indies and China, made between 1774 and 1781"), which was published in 1782.<ref name="Sonnerat" /> There are three subspecies, determined by flower arrangement, twig thickness, fruit, and a number of [[stamen]]s.
* ''Litchi chinensis'' subsp. ''chinensis'' is the only commercialized lychee. It grows wild in [[South China|southern China]], northern [[Vietnam]], and [[Cambodia]]. It has thin twigs, flowers typically have six stamens, fruit are smooth or with protuberances up to {{convert|abbr=on|2|mm}}.
* ''Litchi chinensis'' subsp. ''philippinensis'' (Radlk.) Leenh. It is common in the wild in the [[Philippines]] and rarely cultivated. Locally called ''alupag'', ''mata-mata'', or ''matamata'' due to its eye-like appearance when the fruit is opened, it has thin twigs, six to seven stamens, long oval fruit with spiky protuberances up to {{convert|abbr=on|3|mm}}.<ref name="USDA2">{{GRIN | ''Litchi chinensis'' subsp. ''philippinensis'' | 102744 | access-date = 2013-10-30}}</ref>
* ''Litchi chinensis'' subsp. ''javensis''. It is only known in cultivation, in [[Malaysia]] and [[Indonesia]]. It has thick twigs, flowers with seven to eleven stamens in sessile clusters, smooth fruit with protuberances up to {{convert|abbr=on|1|mm}}.<ref name="Purdue" /><ref name="Menzel">{{cite book |author=Courtney Menzel |title=Litchi and longan: botany, production and uses |publisher=CABI Pub |location=Wallingford, Oxon, UK |year=2005 |page=26 |isbn=978-0-85199-696-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=49PB5MhHqkcC&pg=PA26}}</ref>

== Description ==

=== Tree ===
''Litchi chinensis'' is an evergreen tree that is frequently less than {{convert|15|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall, sometimes reaching {{convert|28|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Oxford" /> Its evergreen leaves, {{convert|12.5|to|20|cm|in|abbr=on}} long, are pinnate, having 4 to 8 alternate, elliptic-oblong to lanceolate, abruptly pointed, leaflets,

The bark is grey-black, the branches a brownish-red. Its [[evergreen]] leaves are {{convert|12.5|to|20|cm|in|abbr=on}} long, with leaflets in two to four pairs.<ref name="Purdue" /> Lychee are similar in foliage to the family [[Lauraceae]], likely due to [[convergent evolution]]. They are adapted by developing leaves that repel water, and are called laurophyll or [[lauroid]] leaves.

Flowers grow on a terminal [[inflorescence]] with many [[panicle]]s on the current season's growth. The panicles grow in clusters of ten or more, reaching {{convert|10|to|40|cm|in|abbr=on}} or longer, holding hundreds of small white, yellow, or green flowers that are distinctively fragrant.<ref name="Menzel" />

{{gallery|mode=packed
|Lychee (Litchi chinensis)-01.JPG|Tree in [[Panama]]
|Litchi chinensis flowers 01.JPG|Flowers
}}

=== Fruit ===
[[File:Lychee fruits and seed.jpg|thumb|Whole and opened fruit with seed]]

The lychee bears fleshy [[Drupe|fruits]] that mature in 80–112 days depending on climate, location, and cultivar. Fruits vary in shape from round to ovoid to heart-shaped, up to 5&nbsp;cm long and 4&nbsp;cm wide (2.0&nbsp;in&nbsp;× 1.6&nbsp;in), weighing approximately 20 g.<ref name="Oxford" /><ref name="Barret" />

The thin, tough skin is green when immature, ripening to red or pink-red, and is smooth or covered with small sharp protuberances roughly textured. The [[peel (fruit)|rind]] is inedible but easily removed to expose a layer of translucent white flesh with a floral smell and a sweet flavor.<ref name="Oxford" /> The skin turns brown and dry when left out after harvesting.

The fleshy, edible portion of the fruit is an [[aril]], surrounding one dark brown inedible seed that is 1 to 3.3&nbsp;cm long and 0.6 to 1.2&nbsp;cm wide (0.39–1.30 by 0.24–0.47&nbsp;in). Some cultivars produce a high percentage of fruits with shriveled aborted seeds known as 'chicken tongues'. These fruits typically have a higher price, due to having more edible flesh.<ref name="Menzel" /> Since the floral flavor is lost in the process of canning, the fruit is usually eaten fresh.<ref name="Oxford" />

=== Flavor and aroma ===
The edible aril of the lychee is juicy and translucent, with a sweet, mildly tart flavor and a distinctive floral aroma often described as rose-like.<ref>Prakash, S., et al. "Aroma Volatiles in Litchi Fruit: A Mini-Review." ''Horticulturae'' 8, no. 12 (2022): 1166. [https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/12/1166 MDPI]</ref><ref>Xiao, Z., et al. "Characterization of the Key Aroma Compounds in ‘Sweetheart’ Lychee (''Litchi chinensis'' Sonn.)." ''Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry'' 66, no. 14 (2018): 3706–3712. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29567218 PubMed]</ref><ref>Joomwong, A., et al. "Volatile Constituents of Lychee (''Litchi chinensis'' Sonn.) Fruit." ''Kasetsart Journal (Nat. Sci.)'' 41 (2007): 256–262. [https://www.thaiscience.info/Article%20for%20ThaiScience/Article/1/10011926.pdf ThaiScience]</ref>
Its sweetness is primarily due to sucrose, glucose, and fructose, while malic and citric acids provide acidity. Aroma-active compounds in the flesh include the monoterpenes linalool, geraniol, nerol, limonene, and cis-rose oxide, which contribute rose-like and citrus-like notes, as well as furaneol (sweet, caramel-like), methional (cooked-potato nuance), and sulfur volatiles such as dimethyl trisulfide.<ref>Prakash, S., et al. "Aroma Volatiles in Litchi Fruit: A Mini-Review." ''Horticulturae'' 8, no. 12 (2022): 1166. [https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/8/12/1166 MDPI]</ref><ref>Xiao, Z., et al. "Characterization of the Key Aroma Compounds in ‘Sweetheart’ Lychee (''Litchi chinensis'' Sonn.)." ''Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry'' 66, no. 14 (2018): 3706–3712. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29567218 PubMed]</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Flora Sinensis 1656 (2950635) (cropped).jpg|thumb|"Lici Fruit Tree" in [[Michał Boym]]'s ''[[Flora Sinensis]]'' (1657)]]

Cultivation of lychee began in the region of [[South China|southern China]], going back to 1059 AD, [[Malaysia]], and northern [[Vietnam]].<ref name=Purdue/> Unofficial records in [[China]] refer to lychee as far back as 2000 BC.<ref name="Andersen">{{cite book |author1=Andersen, Peter A. |author2=Schaffer, Bruce |title=Handbook of environmental physiology of fruit crops |publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton |year=1994 |pages=123–140 |isbn=978-0-8493-0179-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wynac3NvzLsC&pg=PA123}}</ref> Wild trees still grow in parts of southern China and on [[Hainan Island]]. The fruit was used as a delicacy in the Chinese Imperial Court.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bishop |first1=Kevin |title=China's Imperial Way: Retracing an Historical Trade and Communications Route from Beijing to Hong Kong |date=1997 |publisher=China Books |isbn=9622175112 |page=17 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1c0UyPNF_I0C |access-date=2 January 2020}}</ref>

In the 1st century during the [[Han dynasty]], fresh lychees were a popular [[tribute]] item, and in such demand at the Imperial Court that a special courier service with fast horses would bring the fresh fruit from Guangdong.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yu |first=Yingshi |author-link=Yu Ying-shih|title=Chinese History and Culture. Volume 1, Sixth Century B.C.E. to Seventeenth Century |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-231-54201-2 |location=New York |pages=114 |oclc=933211532}}</ref> There was great demand for lychee in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), according to [[Cai Xiang]], in his ''Li chi pu'' (Treatise on Lychees). It was also the favorite fruit of [[Emperor of China|Emperor]] [[Emperor Xuanzong of Tang China|Li Longji (Xuanzong)]]'s favored concubine [[Yang Guifei|Yang Yuhuan (Yang Guifei)]].  The emperor had the fruit delivered at great expense to the capital.<ref name="Oxford">{{cite book |last1=Davidson |first1=Jane L. |last2=Davidson |first2=Alan |last3=Saberi |first3=Helen |last4=Jaine |first4=Tom |title=The Oxford companion to food |year=2006 |location=Oxford [Oxfordshire] |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=467 |isbn=978-0-19-280681-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JTr-ouCbL2AC&pg=PA467}}</ref>

The lychee attracted the attention of [[Ethnic groups in Europe|European]] travelers, such as the Spanish bishop, explorer, and sinologist [[Juan González de Mendoza]] in his ''History of the great and mighty kingdom of China'' (1585; English translation 1588), based on the reports of Spanish [[friar]]s who had visited China in the 1570s gave the fruit high praise:<ref>[[Juan González de Mendoza]], ''[https://archive.org/stream/historyofgreatmi14151gonz#page/14/mode/2up The history of the great and mighty kingdom of China and the situation thereof]''. English translation by Robert Parke, 1588, in an 1853 reprint by Hakluyt Society. Page 14. The Spanish version (in a 1944 reprint) has ''lechías''.</ref>

{{blockquote|[T]hey haue a kinde of plummes, that they doo call ''lechias'', that are of an exceeding gallant tast, and neuer hurteth any body, although they shoulde eate a great number of them.}}

Later the lychee was described and introduced to the West in 1656 by [[Michał Boym]], a Polish Jesuit missionary (at that time [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]).<ref name=kaj>{{cite book | last= Kajdański | first= Edward | title= Michał Boym: ambasador Państwa Środka | publisher= Książka i Wiedza | location= Warszawa | year= 1999 | isbn= 9788305130967 | language= pl| chapter=Flora Chin| page=183}}</ref>

Lychee trees were introduced to Jamaica by Chinese immigrants in the 18th century, where the fruit is associated with the [[Chinese Jamaicans|Chinese Jamaican]] community.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Ganeshram |first=Ramin |date=2024-06-25 |title=How a Cake Became a National Obsession |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/dining/lychee-cake.html |access-date=2024-06-30 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>  The fruit is featured in a popular Jamaican cake, called ''lychee cake'', which is made of a light [[sponge cake]], cream, and fruit, which has been one of the most popular cakes in Jamaica since its creation by baker Selena Wong in 1988.<ref name=":0" />

Lychee was introduced in the north-western parts of [[Indian subcontinent]] (then [[British Raj]]) in 1932 and remained an exotic plant until the 1960s when commercial production began. The crop's production expanded from Begum Kot ([[Lahore District]]) in Punjab to [[Hazara Division|Hazara]], [[Haripur District|Haripur]], [[Sialkot]] and [[Mirpur Khas District|Mirpur Khas]].

=== Double domestication ===
[[Genomics|Genomic studies]] indicate that the lychee resulted from double domestication by independent cultivation in two different regions of ancient China.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hu|first1=Guibing|last2=Feng|first2=Junting|last3=Xiang|first3=Xu|last4=Wang|first4=Jiabao|last5=Salojärvi|first5=Jarkko|last6=Liu|first6=Chengming|last7=Wu|first7=Zhenxian|last8=Zhang|first8=Jisen|last9=Liang|first9=Xinming|last10=Jiang|first10=Zide|last11=Liu|first11=Wei|date=January 2022|title=Two divergent haplotypes from a highly heterozygous lychee genome suggest independent domestication events for early and late-maturing cultivars|journal=Nature Genetics|language=en|volume=54|issue=1|pages=73–83|doi=10.1038/s41588-021-00971-3|pmid=34980919 |pmc=8755541 |issn=1546-1718}}</ref>

== Cultivation and uses ==
[[File:Litchi root.jpg|thumb|upright|Germinating lychee seed with its main root (about 3 months old)]]
[[File:Lychee seed.jpg|thumb|A normal-sized seed (left) and a small-sized (Chicken tongue) seed&nbsp;(right)]]

Lychees are extensively grown in southern China, [[Taiwan]], [[Vietnam]] and the rest of tropical [[Southeast Asia]], the [[Indian subcontinent]],<ref name="mitra">{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/3/ac684e/ac684e04.htm|title=Overview of lychee production in the Asia-Pacific region|date=2000|author=SK Mitra|publisher=Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Office for Asia and the Pacific|access-date=12 June 2020}}</ref> and in [[Tropics|tropical]] regions of many other countries.<ref name=Purdue /><ref name=mitra/><ref>{{cite web |first=Jonathan H. |last=Crane |author2=Carlos F. Balerdi |author3=Ian Maguire |orig-year=1968 |year=2008 |title=Lychee growing in the Florida home landscape |url=http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG051 |publisher=University of Florida |access-date=30 June 2009}}</ref> They require a tropical climate that is frost-free and is not below the temperature of {{convert|−4|C|F}}.<ref name=Purdue /><ref name=mitra/> Lychees require a climate with high summer heat, rainfall, and humidity, growing optimally on well-drained, slightly acidic [[soil]]s rich in organic matter and mulch.<ref name=Purdue /><ref name=mitra/>

Some 200 [[cultivar]]s exist, with early and late maturing forms suited to warmer and cooler climates, respectively.<ref name=Purdue /> In China, eight cultivars are mainly used for commerce.<ref name=mitra/> Lychees are also grown as an [[ornamental tree]].<ref name=Purdue /> The most common  propagation method for lychee is through air layering. Air-layers are made by cutting a branch of a mature tree, covering the cut with a rooting medium, such as [[peat]] or [[Sphagnum|sphagnum moss]], then wrapping the medium with [[polyethylene]] film and allowing the cut to root. Once significant rooting has occurred, the layer is cut from the branch and potted.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Menzel|first=C.M.|date=January 1985|title=Propagation of lychee: A review|journal=Scientia Horticulturae|volume=25|issue=1|pages=31–48|doi=10.1016/0304-4238(85)90074-3|bibcode=1985ScHor..25...31M |issn=0304-4238}}</ref>

According to [[folklore]], a lychee tree that is not producing much fruit can be [[girdling|girdled]], leading to more fruit production. When the central opening of trees is carried out as part of training and pruning, [[stereo fruiting]] can be achieved for higher orchard productivity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nrclitchi.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/good-management-practices-in-litchi.pdf|title=Good management practices in litchi|date=2016|publisher=National Research Centre on Litchi, Bihar, India|access-date=24 November 2016|archive-date=20 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820161034/https://www.nrclitchi.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/good-management-practices-in-litchi.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lychees are commonly sold fresh in Asian markets.<ref name=Purdue /><ref name=mitra/> The red rind turns dark brown when the fruit is refrigerated, but the taste isn't affected. It is also sold canned year-round. The fruit can be dried with the rind intact, at which point the flesh shrinks and darkens.<ref name="Oxford" />

=== Cultivars ===
There are numerous lychee [[cultivar]]s, with considerable confusion regarding their naming and identification. The same cultivar grown in different climates can produce very different fruit. Cultivars can also have different synonyms in various parts of the world. Southeast Asian countries, along with Australia, use the original Chinese names for the main cultivars. India grows more than a dozen different cultivars. South Africa grows mainly the "Mauritius" cultivar. Most cultivars grown in the United States were imported from China, except for the "Groff", which was developed in the state of Hawaii.<ref name="Barret">{{cite book |author1=Hosahalli Ramaswamy |author2=Diane Barrett |author3=Laszlo P. Somogyi |title=Processing fruits: science and technology |publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton |year=2005 |page=687 |isbn=978-0-8493-1478-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S-yJSAR5b04C&pg=PA687}}</ref>

Different cultivars of lychee are popular in various growing regions and countries. In China, popular cultivars include [[Kwai Mai (lychee)|Kwai Mai]], Sanyuehong, Baitangying, Baila, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Shuidong, Feizixiao, Dazou, Heiye, Nuomici, Guiwei, Huaizhi, Lanzhu, and Chenzi. In Vietnam, the most popular cultivar is Vai Thieu Hai Duong. In the US, production is based on several cultivars, including Mauritius, Brewster, and Hak Ip.<ref name="Menzel" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Boning|first=Charles R.|title=Florida's Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines|year=2006|publisher=Pineapple Press, Inc.|location=Sarasota, Florida|page=132}}</ref> India grows more than a dozen named cultivars, including Shahi (Highest Pulp %), Dehradun, Early Large Red, Kalkattia and Rose Scented.<ref name="Barret" /><ref name="Salunkhe">{{cite book |author1=Kadam, S. S. |author2=Salunkhe, D. K. |title=Handbook of fruit science and technology: production, composition, storage, and processing |publisher=M. Dekker |location=New York |year=1995 |page=436 |isbn=978-0-8247-9643-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v2WnS_2ZmDwC&pg=PA436}}</ref>

[[File:Lychee Mauritius01 Asit.jpg|thumb|center|The Mauritius cultivar]]

=== Nutrients ===
{{nutritional value
| name = Lychees, raw, 100 g
| image = Litchi chinensis Luc Viatour.jpg
| caption = '''{{center|Peeled lychee fruits}}'''
| kJ = 276
| water = 81.8 g
| protein = 0.83 g
| fat = 0.44 g
| carbs = 16.53 g
| fiber = 1.3 g
| sugars = 15.23 g
| calcium_mg = 5
| iron_mg = 0.13
| magnesium_mg = 10
| phosphorus_mg = 31
| potassium_mg = 171
| sodium_mg = 1
| zinc_mg = 0.07
| manganese_mg = 0.055
| vitC_mg = 71.5
| thiamin_mg = 0.011
| riboflavin_mg = 0.065
| niacin_mg = 0.603
| vitB6_mg = 0.1
| folate_ug = 14
| source_usda = 1
| note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169086/nutrients Full Link to USDA entry in FoodData Central]
}}

Raw lychee fruit is 82% water, 17% [[carbohydrate]]s, 1% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and contains negligible [[fat]] (table). In a 100-gram (3.5 oz) reference amount, raw lychee fruit supplies 66 [[calorie]]s of food energy. The raw pulp is rich in [[vitamin C]], having 72&nbsp;mg per 100&nbsp;grams – an amount representing 79% of the [[Daily Value]] – but contains no other [[micronutrient]]s in significant content (table).

=== Phytochemicals ===
Lychees have moderate amounts of [[polyphenol]]s,<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Pierre Brat |author2=Stéphane Georgé |author3=Annick Bellamy |author4=Laure Du Chaffaut |author5=Augustin Scalbert |author6=Louise Mennen |author7=Nathalie Arnault |author8=Marie Josèphe Amiot |title=Daily polyphenol intake in France from fruit and vegetables |date=September 2006  |journal=The Journal of Nutrition |volume=136 |issue=9 |pages=2368–2373 |pmid=16920856|doi=10.1093/jn/136.9.2368 |doi-access=free }}</ref> including [[flavan-3-ol]] monomers and dimers as major compounds representing about 87% of total polyphenols, which declined in content during storage or [[Food browning|browning]].<ref name="zhang">{{cite journal|title=Changes in phenolic compounds in Litchi (''Litchi chinensis'' Sonn.) fruit during postharvest storage |author=Donglin Zhang |author2=Peter C. Quantick |author3=John M. Grigor |journal= Postharvest Biology and Technology |volume=19 |issue=2|year=2000 |pages=165–172| doi=10.1016/S0925-5214(00)00084-3}}</ref> [[Cyanidin-3-glucoside]] represented 92% of total [[anthocyanin]]s.<ref name="zhang" />

== Poisoning ==
In 1962, it was found that lychee seeds contained [[Methylene cyclopropyl acetic acid|methylenecyclopropylglycine]] (MCPG), a [[homology (biology)|homologue]] of [[hypoglycin A]], which caused [[hypoglycemia]] in human and animal studies.<ref>{{Cite journal
| pmid = 13901296
| year = 1962
| last1 = Gray
| first1 = D. O.
| title = Alpha-(Methylenecyclopropyl)glycine from Litchi seeds
| journal = The Biochemical Journal
| volume = 82
| issue = 3
| pages = 385–9
| last2 = Fowden
| first2 = L
| pmc = 1243468
| doi=10.1042/bj0820385
}}</ref>
Since the end of the 1990s, unexplained outbreaks of [[encephalopathy]] had been documented, appearing to affect only children in India<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Litchi-virus-kills-8-kids-in-Malda/articleshow/36225598.cms|title=Litchi virus kills 8 kids in Malda|newspaper=Times of India|date=8 June 2014|access-date=12 June 2014}}</ref> (where it is called ''chamki bukhar''),<ref>{{cite news |author=Agence France-Presse |title=At least 31 children in India killed by toxin in lychees |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/13/at-least-31-children-in-india-killed-by-toxin-in-lychees |access-date=13 June 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=13 June 2019}}</ref> and northern [[Vietnam]] (where it was called Ac Mong encephalitis after the Vietnamese word for [[nightmare]], {{lang|vi|ác mộng}})<ref name="paireua" /> during the lychee harvest season from May to June<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/ac684e/ac684e08.htm|title=Lychee production in India|vauthors=Singh HP, Babita S |publisher=Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN|access-date=12 June 2014}}</ref> or July.<ref name="paireua">{{Cite journal
 | pmid = 23092599
| year = 2012
| last1 = Paireau
| first1 = J
| title = Litchi-associated acute encephalitis in children, Northern Vietnam, 2004–2009
| journal = Emerging Infectious Diseases
| volume = 18
| issue = 11
| pages = 1817–24
| last2 = Tuan
| first2 = N. H.
| last3 = Lefrançois
| first3 = R
| last4 = Buckwalter
| first4 = M. R.
| last5 = Nghia
| first5 = N. D.
| last6 = Hien
| first6 = N. T.
| last7 = Lortholary
| first7 = O
| last8 = Poirée
| first8 = S
| last9 = Manuguerra
| first9 = J. C.
| last10 = Gessain
| first10 = A
| last11 = Albert
| first11 = M. L.
| last12 = Brey
| first12 = P. T.
| last13 = Nga
| first13 = P. T.
| last14 = Fontanet
| first14 = A
| doi = 10.3201/eid1811.111761
| pmc = 3559149
}}</ref>

A 2013 investigation by the U.S. [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC), in India, showed that cases were linked to the consumption of lychee fruit,<ref name=CDC>{{cite journal|url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6403a1.htm|title=Outbreaks of Unexplained Neurologic Illness — Muzaffarpur, India, 2013–2014|journal= MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report|volume=64|issue=3|pages=49–53 |vauthors=Shrivastava A, et al. |date=30 January 2015|access-date=30 Jan 2015|pmid=25632950 |pmc=4584556}}</ref> causing a noninflammatory [[encephalopathy]] that mimicked symptoms of [[Jamaican vomiting sickness]].<ref name=nyt/> Because low blood sugar ([[hypoglycemia]]) of less than 70&nbsp;mg/dL in the [[undernourished]] children on admission was common, and associated with a poorer outcome (44% of all cases were fatal) the CDC identified the illness as a [[Hypoglycemia|hypoglycemic]] encephalopathy.<ref name=CDC />

The investigation linked the illness to hypoglycin A and MCPG toxicity, and to [[malnutrition|malnourished]] children eating lychees (particularly unripe ones) on an empty stomach.<ref name=lancet2/>

The CDC report recommended that parents ensure their children limit lychee consumption and have an evening meal, elevating blood glucose levels that may be sufficient to deter illness.<ref name=CDC/><ref name="nyt">{{cite news|url=https://nytimes.com/2017/01/31/world/asia/lychee-litchi-india-outbreak.html|title=Dangerous Fruit: Mystery of Deadly Outbreaks in India Is Solved|author=Barry, Ellen|newspaper=New York Times|date=31 January 2017|access-date=1 February 2017}}</ref> Education campaigns aimed at reducing the prevalence of lychee-associated encephalopathy have been launched, some before the mechanism of toxicity was elucidated, for example beginning in 1995 in China.<ref name="ZhangFontaine2017">{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Li Jie |last2=Fontaine |first2=Robert E |title=Lychee-associated encephalopathy in China and its reduction since 2000 |journal=The Lancet Global Health |date=September 2017 |volume=5 |issue=9 |pages=e865 |doi=10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30291-7 |pmid=28807180 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Earlier studies had incorrectly concluded that transmission may occur from direct contact with lychees contaminated by [[bat]] [[saliva]], urine, or [[guano]] or with other [[vector (epidemiology)|vectors]], such as insects found in lychee trees or [[sand flies]], as in the case of [[Chandipura virus]].<ref name="paireua"/> A 2017 study found that pesticides used in the plantations could be responsible for the encephalitis and deaths of young children in [[Bangladesh]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/pesticides-lychee-south-asian-children-sudden-deaths/3958831.html|title=Pesticides May Have Caused South Asian Children's Sudden Deaths|publisher=Voa news|date=25 July 2017|access-date=28 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
| year = 2017
| author1 = Mohammed Saiful Islam
| title = Outbreak of Sudden Death with Acute Encephalitis Syndrome Among Children Associated with Exposure to Lychee Orchards in Northern Bangladesh, 2012
| journal =  The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
| doi=10.4269/ajtmh.16-0856
| pmid = 28749763
| volume=97
| issue = 3
| pages=949–957
| pmc = 5590581
}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="200px" heights="180px">
File:Lichubagan3.JPG|[[China 3 lychee|China 3 cultivar]] of lychee fruit
File:Plate of peeled lychee fruit 2019 10-32-11 PM.jpeg|Peeled lychee fruits
File:Lychee Fruit.jpg|Lychee fruit
File:Lychee at a market.jpg|Lychee at a market in [[Uttar Pradesh]], India
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[China 3 lychee]]
* [[Chinese food therapy]]
* [[Korlan]]
* [[Lanzones]]
* [[Lichido]] liqueur
* [[List of culinary fruits]]
* [[Longan]]
* [[Lychee wine]]
* ''[[Melicoccus bijugatus]]''
* [[Muzaffarpur]]
* [[Rambutan]]
{{div col end}}
{{Clear}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |first=Charles R. |last=Boning |chapter=Lychee |title=Florida's Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines |publisher=Pineapple Press, Inc. |location=Sarasota, Florida |year=2006 |pages=130–133}}
* {{cite book |first=Y. H. |last=Hui |year=2008 |title=Handbook of Fruits and Fruit Processing |chapter=Lychee |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5XgP-aLmWIC&pg=PA606 |location=New Delhi |publisher=Wiley India |isbn=978-81-265-1788-6 |pages=606–611}}
* {{cite book |first=S. S. |last=Kadam |author2=S. S. Deshpande |year=1995  |chapter=Lychee |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v2WnS_2ZmDwC&pg=PA435 |editor=D. K. Salunkhe |editor2=S. S. Kadam |title=Handbook of Fruit Science and Technology: Production, Composition, Storage, and Processing |location=New York |publisher=M. Dekker |pages=435–443 |isbn=978-0-8247-9643-3}}
* {{cite book |first=Frederic |last=Rosengartens |year=2004 |chapter=Litchi 'Nuts' |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7CK8LFCcvtcC&pg=PA299 |title=The Book of Edible Nuts |location=New York |publisher=Dover Publication |pages=299–300 |isbn=978-0-486-43499-5}}

== External links ==
{{Cookbook}}
* {{Commons inline|italic=1}}
* {{Wiktionary inline}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q13182}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sapindaceae]]
[[Category:Trees of China]]
[[Category:Trees of Indo-China]]
[[Category:Trees of Malesia]]
[[Category:Chinese fruit]]
[[Category:Edible fruits]]
[[Category:Fruit trees]]
[[Category:Tropical fruit]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1782]]