Form: Round-topped tree.

Lifespan: More than 100 productive years. Some specimens in China are said to be over 1000 years old.

Leaf retention: Evergreen.

Growth rate: Slow.

Mature Size: Usually 20-30' (6-9m) high and nearly as wide. These trees can reach 50-100' (15-30m) in the tropics.

Flowers: Small, without petals, 6-7 stamens, clustered in panicles at the end of branches. The flowers are of three types: male, hermaphrodite behaving as female, or hermaphrodite behaving as male, appearing either simultaneously or sequentially.

Bloom: Late winter or spring. Some lychee cultivars are prone to bloom and fruit heavily, then lightly, in alternate years.

Self-fruitful: Yes, but an insect pollinator is needed. Withholding fertilizer, or substantially reducing water is often practiced before and during bloom to force fruiting of these rather capricious flowers.

Years before fruiting: 3-5 years for air-layered plants, rooted cuttings and cutting-grafted plants. Trees grown from seed can take 8-20 years. It takes 20-40 years before peak fruit production is reached.

Fruit: Rough, brittle, red skin with a spiny strawberry appearance, 1-2" (1.2-2.5cm) in diameter. The skin is easily peeled once a tear has started. The flesh is sweet, fragrant, white-translucent, and gelatinous. It does not adhere to the single, inedible, dark seed.

Months for fruit to ripen: 4-5 months when irrigation is stopped about 2-3 weeks before harvest. A vivid pink or red skin color and a slight, springy give under pressure indicates ripeness. If the fruit is too soft it will be overripe. Lychees do not ripen further after harvest. The fruit is removed from the tree by cutting the branch just above the panicle bearing the fruits. Harvesting should be done in the early morning or late afternoon to maximize water content.

Storage after harvest: Fresh lychees should be eaten within one day after harvest, or they will dehydrate. Stored in the refrigerator in sealed plastic bags to prevent moisture loss, they can last up to one week. Lychees can also be frozen, skin on, in sealed plastic bags. While frozen, then skinned, they taste like lychee sorbet.
At room temperature, after a few days, the skin turns brown, brittle and hard, and the flesh dries, shrivels, and develops a musky, but still edible, flavor. Various practices are used to dry lychees. One is to shade dry for two days, then sun dry for two weeks, bringing the fruit in at nights and during rain. Dried fruit can be stored for about one year at room temperature.

Leaves: Dark green on top, gray-green on bottom, 2-3" (5-7.6cm) long, lance-shaped, smooth, glossy, leaflets. New leaves are light green or reddish. The tree provides dense shade. Young trees may produce five vegetative flushes per year under ideal growing conditions.

Stems: No thorns.

Roots: Air layered trees and rooted cuttings have fibrous, lateral roots which can extend beyond the drip line and can extend 7' (2.1m) deep. Trees or rootstock grown from seed have tap roots as well as lateral roots.

Wildlife: The flowers attract pollinating insects, and the fruit attracts small mammals like squirrels, birds and fruit bats.

Toxic / Danger: The seeds are mildly toxic. The fruit contains tiny amounts of hypoglycin, a toxin that reduces the body's ability to make glucose and can lead to low blood sugar. Malnourished children should not eat this fruit on an empty stomach.

Origin: Southeastern China.