LITCHI: AN OVERVIEW ARTICLE ID. : 03 Aditya Giri and Simran B.Sc. Horticulture ITM University, Gwalior [MP] Botanical Name:- Litchi chinensis Family:- Sapindaceae Chromosome :- 30 Origin:- China Type of Fruit:- One seeded nut Edible portion:- Fleshy aril Climatic adaptability:- Subtropical Pollination:- highly cross pollination Pollinator:- Honey bee INTRODUCTION Litchi chinensis commonly known as Litchi or Lychee belongs to the family of Sapindaceae . The genus Litchi comes in the category of one seeded nut. Litchi (Litchi chinensis) is a delicious juicy fruit of excellent quality. The translucent, flavoured aril or edible flesh of the litchi is popular as a table fruit in India, while in China and Japan it is preferred in dried or canned state. It is a tropical tree native to the Gaungdong and Faujian provinces of southeastern China, where cultivation is documented from the 11th century. China is the main producer of lychees, followed by India. A tall evergreen tree, the lychee bears small fleshy fruits. The outside of the fruit is pink-red, roughly textured and inedible, covering sweet flesh eaten in many different dessert dishes. Lychee seeds contain methylene cyclopropyl glycine which can cause hypoglycemia associated with outbreaks of encephalopathy in undernourished Indian and Vietnamese children who had consumed lychee fruit. Litchi chinensis is an evergreen tree that is frequently less than 15 m (49 ft) tall, sometimes reaching 28 m (92 ft). Its leaves are 5 to 8 inch. Fruits vary in shape from round to ovoid to heart-shaped. 1 | Page VOLUME 01 ISSUE 06: JUNE 2021 Scientific Classification Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Sapindales Family: Sapindaceae Genus: Litchi Species: Chinensis History Cultivation of lychee began in the region of southern China, going back to 1059 AD, Malaysia, and northern Vietnam. Unofficial records in China refer to lychee as far back as 2000 BC. Wild trees still grow in parts of southern China and on Hainan Island. The fruit was used as a delicacy in the Chinese Imperial Court. In the 1st century during the Han dynasty, fresh lychees were a popular tribute item, and in such demand at the Imperial Court that a special courier service with fast horses would bring the fresh fruit from Guangdong. There was great demand for lychee in the Song Dynasty. It was also the favourite fruit of Emperor of China . The lychee attracted attention of European travelers. Later the lychee was described and introduced to the West in 1656 by Michal Boym. a Polish Jesuit missionary . Morphology of Litchi fruit The flowers were functionally male and female, with a superior bicarpelar ovary with two ovules, rarely three. Frequently, only a single fruit develops. The fruit is a heart-shaped drupe when ripe, fleshy and indehiscent. The pericarp is thin, leathery, rough, wrinkled and red colored, with aril covering all the seed. The fruit begins differentiation with the formation of the pericarp which consists of epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp. The litchi fruit is elongated when young, becoming heart-shaped as it develops. It contains one or two seeds and each one is attached to the internal angle of the marginal sutures. When ripe, the litchi has a leathery and broken pericarp because of the presence of brachisclereides immediately below the epidermis, whose function may be protection against mechanical and physiological stresses and herbivorous action. Litchi made products Litchi Pulp Litchi Squash Litchi Wine Litchi Honey Litchi Jelly Dehydrated Litchi Pulp Litchi Sorbet, etc. 2 | Page VOLUME 01 ISSUE 06: JUNE 2021 Nutritional Value Health Benefits It is a rich source of nutrient that is required for the production of blood. It provides magnesium, manganese, coppor, iron and folate that are required for the formation of RBC. 3 | Page VOLUME 01 ISSUE 06: JUNE 2021 Area and Production: It occupies an area of 71.9 thousand hectare in India with annual production of 423.4 thousand MT. Bihar is the largest producer of litchi followed by West Bengal, Western U.P. and by Punjab. Muzzafarpur is an important cultivar of Bihar. It is a high yielding cultivar, may bear 80 to 100 kg of fruits per tree. The fruits resemble Saharanpur cultivar. This early ripening cultivar ripens in first week of May in Bihar hence, is less prone to splitting. Facts: Lychee is a tropical plant, originating in China, that belongs to the soapberry family. There are three subspecies of lychee but only one is cultivated as a source of food. Cultivation of the lychee began 2,000 years ago. Lychee is a medium-sized tree that can reach up to 50 feet in height. It blooms from November to February in the northern hemisphere and from April to August in the southern. The flowers are fragrant and attract bees, the main pollinators. It is a perennial plant and can survive for up to 1,000 years in the wild. The fruit’s skin is rough but its edible flesh is succulent, white and translucent. Each fruit contains one large, shiny, brown seed. A 100g serving contains 66 calories. The seeds contain toxic compounds that can induce unpleasant side effects in the digestive system after consumption. Lychee is a natural diuretic which can alleviate pain associated with kidney stones and can reduce the formation of blood clots. It can also prevent the development of breast cancer. It is known across the world as the ‘Chinese strawberry’. In the Middle Kingdom, it is the symbol of love and romance. 4 | Page VOLUME 01 ISSUE 06: JUNE 2021 .