Lychee is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical tree native to the Guangdong and Fujian provinces of southeastern China, where cultivation is documented from the 11th century.
Lychee is a tropical evergreen tree native to China, where it grows in a warm, wet climate. It bears small, dimpled fleshy fruits. The outside of the fruit has a rough, pink-red skin that is inedible and the inside flesh is clear to white and sweet. The brown, inside seed is poisonous and should be discarded (or planted). The fruit has a light, perfume-like flavor. It is usually eaten fresh or frozen and can be made into sauces, jam, puree, or preserves. Like many other tropical fruits, such as avocado, lychee is not a natural choice for indoor gardeners. It's more of a novelty plant and will be unlikely to ever bear fruit or grow to maturity (unless you have a greenhouse). Still, it can be fun to sprout these seeds in an attempt to grow an attractive plant.
These plants prefer ample and regular water throughout the year. Lychee does not have a natural winter resting period, so it will not benefit from a suspension of watering. These trees love high humidity.
Lychee thrive in full sun, but be aware that plants need to be acclimated. Young plants that are not used to full sun will suffer from sudden exposure to bright light, but once acclimated, they will definitely perform better.
Lychee do not like alkaline soils, so use a slightly acidic potting soil, perhaps with the addition of pine bark mulch or pine needles.
Lychee is typically propagated in the field by air-layering. This a sophisticated technique where growers make a cut into a thin branch and then surround it with a packet of moist moss or soil. Roots will form in the cut area, allowing the grower to cut off the whole branch and plant it as a small tree. A home grower is more likely to start lychee from seed. To sprout seeds, cover them with potting soil, keep warm and moist, and wait for sprouts to emerge (which can take weeks). Once they've sprouted, move to a sunnier spot after a few weeks.Lychee can be maintained as small patio trees in warmer climes or grown into 35- or 40-foot trees in the ground. In pots, the plants should be repotted every spring until they reach your maximum growing size. To help keep the plant smaller, aggressively prune the main growing trunks annually to encourage a smaller, bushier plant.
Lychee is surprisingly tolerant to cold and can tolerate short blasts of almost-freezing weather, but they really prefer warmer temperatures. To be brought to bloom, lychee needs to be exposed to cold temperatures (32 to 45°F) for at least 100 hours in the winter.
