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Lychee

Explorer · ages 7 and underAdapted from Wikipedia
Lychee fruit growing on the Litchi chinensis tree, a sweet tropical fruit with bumpy red skin.

What Is a Lychee?

A lychee is the fruit of a tree called Litchi chinensis. The tree belongs to the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. Lychees are safe to eat.

Lychees taste sweet with a little bit of tang. They have a special smell that many people say is like roses. You say the name LIE-chee.

Where Lychees Grow

The most common kind grows in South China, Malaysia, and northern Vietnam. Another kind grows only in the Philippines. The tree has spread across South Asia too.

People in China have grown lychees for a very long time, since at least the 11th century. China grows more lychees than any other country. Madagascar and South Africa also grow them.

The Lychee Tree and Fruit

The lychee tree is tall and evergreen. That means it keeps its leaves all year long. It makes small, soft, juicy, and sweet fruits. Each fruit has a pink-red skin that feels a little rough.

Inside the skin is sweet, white fruit that is see-through. The part we eat surrounds one dark brown seed, and the seed is not eaten. Lychees are usually eaten fresh, right out of the skin.

A Treat Long Ago

Long ago, lychees were a special treat for rulers in China. During the Han dynasty, fresh lychees were a popular gift for the emperor.

Quiz time!

3 questions about Lychee

Question 1 of 3

How does a lychee taste?

Pictures

Lychee fruits, whole and opened, with a seed beside them. Lychees are sweet, juicy fruits with bumpy red or pink skin and translucent white flesh.
A botanical illustration of the lychee plant (Litchi chinensis) from Flora Sinensis, a book about Chinese plants published in Vienna in 1656.
Clusters of lychee fruit turning from green to red as they ripen on a tree in Rockledge, Florida.
Lychee fruit (Litchi chinensis), with its bumpy red skin and sweet, juicy white flesh.
A ripe lychee fruit, a sweet and juicy treat that grows on trees in warm parts of the world.
A plate of peeled lychee fruit, a sweet and juicy tropical fruit with white flesh and a single large seed inside.
Lychees piled up for sale at a market in Uttar Pradesh, India.
A botanical drawing of the lychee plant (Litchi chinensis), from an old book about travels in India and China.
A litchi seed beginning to sprout, with a tiny root emerging.

Keep exploring

Plant
Malaysia
Vietnam
Philippines
South Asia
China

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Lychee, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.