Lychee Tree (Cluster-Bearing)

About the Lychee Tree (Cluster-Bearing)

Lychee is one of Asia's most loved fruits, and this tree is selected for bearing its fruit in generous, heavy clusters. The rough, rosy-red shells peel away easily to reveal glossy, translucent white flesh that is juicy, crisp and perfumed, with a sweet, floral flavour reminiscent of rose and grape. Eat them fresh and chilled, or add to fruit salads, sorbets and drinks. The tree is a handsome, dense evergreen with glossy leaflets and flushes of bronze new growth. It fruits best in places with a cool, dry winter. Grown on our farms in Yucatán and Chiapas and shipped via DHL.

How to Care for It

Grow in full sun in deep, slightly acidic, well-drained soil. Water regularly in summer and during fruit development, then hold back in winter to encourage flowering. Feed lightly with balanced fertiliser in spring and summer and add compost; avoid heavy doses. Protect young trees from frost and strong wind. Prune just after harvest, cutting the fruited branch tips back to promote new fruiting wood.

Grow fruit most people have never tasted. Our exotic fruit trees, from Monthong durian and Emperor lychee to jaboticaba, achachairú and red finger lime, are raised on our farms in Yucatán and Chiapas and shipped by DHL across Mexico. Most love heat and humidity; several do beautifully in large pots.

Growing Profile

Botanical name

Litchi chinensis

Family

Sapindaceae

Native to

Southern China

Mature height

6–10 m

Plant spacing

7 m

Years to first fruit

3–5 years

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Cold tolerance

down to -1 °C

Best climates

Subtropical, Mild highlands

Grows in a pot

Best in the ground

Ships from

Our farms in Yucatán & Chiapas