Longan ( Eng. Dimocarpus longan , Chinese. 龍眼 , lunyan , which means "dragon's eye" [2] ) - an evergreen tree that is cultivated in China , Thailand , Taiwan , Vietnam and Indonesia for edible fruits; a species of the genus Dimocarpus of the Sapindaceae family .
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Dimocarpus longan lour. , 1790 |
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Close to vulnerableIUCN 3.1 Near Threatened : 32399 |
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Trees are about 10 meters tall, but can sometimes reach 40 meters in height.
The juicy pulp of the fragrant Longan fruit has a peculiar sweet taste. The color of the durable inedible outer shell of the fetus is from spotty yellow to reddish. Like its relative, a Chinese lychee , the longan fruit contains a solid dark red or black seed.
Video demonstrating the structure of the fetus and eating it. Audio in English.
Fruits contain a lot of sugar , vitamin C , calcium , iron and phosphorus , as well as many bio acids useful for the skin. The skin of a ripe fruit should be dense, without cracks. Longan is considered more ripe, which has lain for some time after removal from a tree. Chinese traditional medicine claims that dried fruit has a sedative effect .
Dimocarpus longan lour. , 1790, Flora Cochinchinensis 1: 233–234 [3] .
- Synonyms
- Dimocarpus pupilla Moon nom. inval.
- Dimocarpus undulatus wight
- Euphoria cinerea ( Turcz. ) Radlk.
- Euphoria glabra blume
- Euphoria gracilis Radlk.
- Euphoria leichhardtii Benth.
- Euphoria leichhardtii var. hebepetala benth .
- Euphoria longan ( Lour. ) Steud.
- Euphoria longana Lam.
- Euphoria malaiensis ( Griff. ) Radlk.
- Euphoria microcarpa Radlk.
- Euphoria nephelioides Radlk.
- Euphoria undulata Wall. nom. inval.
- Euphoria verruculosa Salisb.
- Nephelium longan (Lour.) Hook.
- Nephelium longana Cambess.
According to the International Red Book , in the wild, the longan is close to a vulnerable position.
In Thailand, the first mention of Longan dates back to 1896, when a traveler from China brought five seedlings of Longan as a gift to King Chulalongkorn's wife. Two seedlings were planted in Bangkok , and the rest in Chiang Mai .
