Lychee ( Litchi chinensis ) trees are subtropical yield trees that make well-favoured as well as delightful additions to consistently affectionate landscapes . The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is earlier aboriginal to southern portions of China , and in Chinese , the word “ Lee Chee ” means “ gifts for a joyful life . ” The strawberry mark - like fruits are in high spirits in vitamin C and have an aroma resemble a rose , and some say taste like a cross between a pear and grape vine .
Lychee Origin & Distribution
lichee trees are aboriginal to the lower elevations of Kwangtung and Fukien provinces of southern China , where it thrives along the rivers and coastal country . The earliest known platter of lychees is from 1059 A.D. in Chinese literature , so the fruit tree has a recollective history . Over the years , its cultivation overspread throughout Southeast Asia and the surrounding islands .
In the 17thCentury , the litchi nut made it to Burma and by the 18thCentury , it continued its travel making it to India and the West Indies . By the 1800s , the yield tree arrived in England , France and the East Indies , and in the late 1800s , it arrived in Hawaii , Florida and California , where it ’s still work today .
Growing Lychee in the U.S.
In the United States , lychee trees mature well in USDA zone 10a through 11b . However , those live in the warm part of zone 9b can grow a litchi nut tree provided the tree diagram gets aegis during an unexpected halt . Those in a bit cool climates can grow it in large containers and bring indoors to a protected locating during winter .
Expert Tip : Protect an outside lychee tree during an unexpected freeze by hide it with sheets or burlap . water system the source system thoroughly the day before cold weather arrives , as it helps isolate the rootage system .
Preferred Climate for Best Growth
In tropical clime , lychee trees do not fruit well when grow at ocean level locus . It ’s considerably adapt to grow in tender to cool subtropical locations with the following conditions :
Damaging Temperatures
Temperatures ranging between 28 ° F and 32 ° F ( -2 ° to 0 ° C ) damage young lychee tree . Whereas , temperatures ranging between 24 ° F to 25 ° F ( -3 ° to -4 ° atomic number 6 ) can damage matured Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , especially if the dispirited temperature remain for several hours .
Symptoms of stale wrong include :
Expert Tips : Wait until new growth appears in spring before pruning areas think to be offend by cold weather . Many times areas that might seem dead spring back to life .
Preferred Cultural Conditions
arise a lichi Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in a wind - protect web site locate in full Lord’s Day for the majority of the 24-hour interval . It stand a spacious range of soils provided they drain well . However , if the selected area has a trend to flood occasionally , plant the lychee tree on a 4 - foot high hillock to lift the roots out of the soggy conditions . Irrigate the tree diagram weekly .
Consider when select a site that an unpruned lychee Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree can originate quite large , averaging 30 feet improbable and broad . Therefore , plant away from structures or mightiness line . To help economise grime moisture and thin down on undesirable flora , practice a 4 - inch layer ofmulcharound the planting site , keeping it take out back several inches from the trunk .
