Lychee

The lychee is a fruit-bearing tree, Litchi chinensis, the sole species in its genus and a member of the soapberry family Sapindaceae. It is native to South China, Malaysia and northern Vietnam, where cultivation has been documented since the 11th century. The lychee is an evergreen tree usually under 15 meters tall, though it can reach 28 meters, with grey-black bark and leaves 12.5 to 20 centimeters long. Its fruit is small and rounded, up to 5 centimeters long and about 20 grams, covered in a pink-red, rough-textured but inedible shell that peels away to reveal translucent white flesh with a sweet, mildly tart flavor and a floral, rose-like aroma. China is the leading producer of lychees today, followed by India and Vietnam.