Longan Latin name Dimocarpus longan Lour. Chinese name Longan Latin family name Sapindaceae Chinese family name Sapindaceae Protection level 3 Distribution Current status in Guangdong (Hainan Island) An endangered species.

Wild longan is one of the common tree species in the monsoon forest in the low hills of southwestern Hainan.

With the destruction of forests, most large trees have been cut down, and most of the existing plants are forest trees that have sprouted and rejuvenated saplings. The distribution area is shrinking day by day, and natural resources are significantly reduced.

Lower limit of altitude (meters) Upper limit of altitude (meters) 800 Morphological characteristics: Evergreen tree, more than 20 meters high, 1 meter in diameter at breast height, with obvious plate-like roots; bark is yellow-brown, rough, and flake-like.

Even-numbered pinnately compound leaves, alternate, 15-30 cm long; leaflets thinly leathery, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 6-15 cm long, 2.5-5.0 cm wide, apex acute or slightly blunt.

Panicles terminal and axillary, 12 to 15 cm long, flowers mixed, clustered, yellow and white; flowers with 5 lobes; petals 5; stamens 8, attached to the inside of the disk; ovary sessile, 2 to 3 cells, densely integumentary

Villous, with small tumors, stigmas 2 to 3-lobed.

The core is fruit-shaped and spherical, and the peel is brittle and chitinous when dry and does not crack; the seeds are spherical, brown-black, shiny, and surrounded by fleshy arils.

Characteristics Wild longan is a common tree species in the semi-evergreen monsoon forest on the low mountain and hilly plateaus in southwestern Hainan.

The annual average temperature in the distribution area is 24-26℃, and the annual precipitation is 900-1700 mm.

It likes dry and hot habitats. During the growth and development process throughout the year, it requires a temperature of 18-25℃ and appropriate drought in winter and spring (November--April). The growth period in summer and autumn (May--November) requires 26--

A high temperature of 29℃ and abundant rainfall.

It is a light-loving tree species. Seedlings cannot tolerate excessive shade, and mature trees need full sunlight.

It has good natural renewal and is a deep-rooted tree species that can take root and grow in dry and lean soil.

It has strong germination ability and can quickly germinate and regenerate tree stumps in logging or fire-scarred areas.

Natural growth is slow. The height of the tree born in 1983 is only 20.2 meters and the diameter at breast height is 27 centimeters.

It blooms from March to April and the fruit matures from July to August.

Conservation value In terms of longan breeding, wild longan is a very valuable germplasm resource.

The wood has a delicate structure, is strong and heavy, extremely resistant to corrosion and insect infestation. It is a strong industrial material and is suitable for use in vehicles, boats, bridges, hydraulic engineering, furniture, etc.

The fruit is edible.

Protection measures: It is recommended that the undamaged and widely distributed semi-evergreen monsoon rainforest be designated as a wild longan nature reserve, and a seed orchard be established at a nearby state-owned forest farm to provide germplasm resources for cultivation.

Cultivation points: Pick the fruits when they are mature and yellowish-brown in July-August.

The seeds have a short life span. After peeling off the husk, remove the aril and wash them with clean water before sowing.

When the seedlings are 8-10 centimeters tall, plant them in separate beds or move them into nutrient bags, and use half-year or one-year seedlings to afforestation on spring or autumn rainy days.

The forest land should be selected from low hills and terraces with an altitude of less than 500 meters.

Cultivation of varieties must be propagated by grafting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Longan is a fruit in southern China, mostly produced in Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

Together with lychee, banana and pineapple, it is one of the four most precious fruits in South China.

The tree is one or two feet tall, with long but slightly smaller leaves and white flowers that bloom in early autumn.

In fact, they are heavy and falling, with a round shape, like a bullet but slightly smaller than a lychee, and a greenish-brown skin.

When peeled off, the fruit is crystal clear and pulpy white, and the red-black core inside can be vaguely seen, which looks very much like an eyeball, hence the name "longan".

Quanzhou is one of the main longan producing areas in the country and has been rich in longan since ancient times.

Quanzhou people commonly call the fresh longan fruit longan, and longan is dried into longan.

Merchants often refer to both as "longan".

Longan is native to southern my country, and its cultivation history can be traced back to the Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago.

The Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) Jia Sixie's "Qi Min Yao Shu" said: "Longan is one for intelligence and one for eyesight." Because it matures in the season when osmanthus trees are fragrant, it is commonly known as Guiyuan.

It was listed as an important tribute in ancient times.

Emperor Wen of Wei (535-551) once ordered his ministers: "The rare fruits in the south include longan and lychee, which are worth paying tribute every year." Quanzhou is located on the southeast coast, with a suitable climate and abundant rainfall, and has been prosperous in humanities since ancient times.

Superior natural conditions and a long history of humanistic development have promoted the cultivation of longan in Quanzhou.

In the Song Dynasty, longan was widely cultivated in Quanzhou.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, Su Song, a native of Tong'an County, Quanzhou Prefecture, recorded in "Illustrations and Materia Medica" (1061): "Longan grows in the valleys of the South China Sea, where lychees are found on the roads of Fujian, Guangzhou, and Shu today. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Wang Shipeng, the governor of Quanzhou County, praised longan.

: "The exquisite light red color sweeps away the ground, and thousands of trees are shouting like dragons. It is really like a puzzle, not a medicine. It tastes better than lychee. It is really a slave."

"Ming Dynasty Huang Zhongzhao's "Tongzhi of Fujian" records: "The longan tree is like a lychee, with tiny leaves and yellow-brown skin.