Litchi chinensis 'Early Large Red'

The variety "Early large red" has a fruit slightly more than 2,5 cm (1 ") long, usually obliquely heart-shaped, crimson, with green interspaces, very rough, skin very firm and leathery, adhering slightly to the flesh. Flesh greyish-white, firm, sweet and flavourful. It is a moderate bearer, early in season.

Lychee is a subtropical evergreen tree native to eastern China where it has been cultivated for thousands of years. The tree has a medium size reaching up to 2-3 m (6-8 ft). Its fruit is smooth, aromatic and juicy inside the thin, rough, slightly spiky and leathery pink to red shell. Litchi chinensis has a small inedible brown seed. Rich in vitamin C it is available mainly in mid-summer. Eaten fresh, used in fruit salads, also bottled, canned, frozen and dried (lychee nuts).

Litchi chinensis thrives and fruits regularly in the warmer coastal Mediterranean. It does not grow well in the tropics, because it needs cool winters, with temperatures below 12 C in order to induce flowering. It only takes short, light frost.