Litchi chinensisLychee

Litchi chinensis, the Lychee, is a densely crowned evergreen tree whose new growth flushes bronze-red across the whole canopy before hardening to glossy dark green, so it puts on a foliage display several times a year quite apart from the fruit. Panicles of small greenish flowers in late winter give the familiar red, rough-skinned fruit in early summer.

It makes a handsome shade tree in its own right, with a low dense crown that suits a large garden or an orchard row better than a street planting pit.

Specifications

• Height8 to 12 metres
• Width6 to 10 metres
• Native toSouthern China
• FoliagePinnate leaves with glossy, leathery, lance-shaped leaflets, flushing bronze-red on new growth; evergreen
• Growth rateSlow to moderate

Conditions

• SoilPrefers deep, well-drained, slightly acidic loams rich in organic matter; dislikes alkaline soils
• LightFull sun
• WaterModerate to high; regular water is essential while fruit is sizing
• ClimateThrives in warm subtropical and tropical regions with a cool dry period to set flower

Additional Features

• FlowersLarge terminal panicles of small greenish-yellow flowers in late winter
• FruitRed, rough-skinned fruit with translucent white flesh, ripening in early summer
• UsesIdeal for orchard rows, edible landscapes, large gardens and as a low dense shade tree
• SpacingPlant 8 to 10 metres apart for orchard rows or open-grown specimens
• Low MaintenancePrune after harvest to keep the crown open and the fruit within reach
• Pest ResistanceGenerally healthy; the crop is heavily targeted by birds and bats and usually needs netting
• Seasonal AppealBronze-red foliage flushes several times a year, independent of the fruiting season
• Wildlife AttractionFlowers are worked hard by bees and the fruit feeds birds

The Lychee earns its place as a shade tree on foliage alone, and the crop settles the argument.