Longan Dragon Eye #Fruit #tropical #food #foodie #travel #fruitcutting #nature #shorts

commonly known as the longan  and dragon's eye, is a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit. It is one of the better-known tropical members of the soapberry family Sapindaceae, to which the lychee and rambutan also belong. The fruit of the longan is similar to that of the lychee, but less aromatic in taste. It is native to tropical Asia and China.

"Longan" in Traditional and Simplified Chinese characters

Traditional Chinese龍眼Simplified Chinese龙眼Literal meaning'dragon eye'TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinlóngyǎnBopomofoㄌㄨㄥˊ　ㄧㄢˇWade–Gileslung2-yen3IPA[lʊ̌ŋ.jɛ̀n]WuSuzhouneselón-ngêYue: CantoneseYale Romanizationlùhng-ngáahnJyutpinglung4-ngaan5IPA[loŋ˩.ŋaːn˩˧]Southern MinHokkien POJlêng-géngTâi-lôlîng-gíng

The longan (from Vietnamese long nhãn, close to Cantonese lùhng ngáahn 龍眼, literally 'dragon eye'), is so named because it resembles an eyeball when its fruit is shelled (the black seed shows through the translucent flesh like a pupil and iris). The seed is small, round and hard, and of an enamel-like, lacquered black. The fully ripened, freshly harvested fruit has a bark-like shell, thin, and firm, making the fruit easy to peel by squeezing the pulp out as if one were "cracking" a sunflower seed. When the shell has more moisture content and is more tender, the fruit becomes less convenient to shell. The tenderness of the shell varies due to either premature harvest, variety, weather conditions or storage conditions.

Plants of the World Online lists:

D. longan var. echinatus Leenhouts (Borneo, Philippines)

D. longan var. longetiolatus Leenhouts (Viet Nam)

D. longan subsp. malesianus Leenh. (widespread SE Asia)

D. longan var. obtusus (Pierre) Leenh. (Indo-China)

Depending upon climate and soil type the tree may grow to over 100 feet (30 m) in height, but it typically stands 30–40 ft (9–12 m) in height and the crown is round. The trunk is 2.5 ft (0.8 m) thick with corky bark. The branches are long and thick, typically drooping.

The leaves are oblong and blunt-tipped, usually 4–8 inches (10–20 cm) long and 2 in (5 cm) wide. The leaves are pinnately compounded and alternate. There are 6 to 9 pairs of leaflets per leaf and the upper surface is wavy and a dark, glossy-green.

The longan tree produces light-yellow inflorescences at the end of branches. The inflorescence is commonly called a panicle; they can be 4–18 in (10–46 cm) long, and widely branched.The small flowers have 5 to 6 sepals and petals that are brownish-yellow. The flower has a two-lobed pistil and 8 stamen. There are three flower types, distributed throughout the panicle, staminate (functionally male), pistillate (functionally female), and hermaphroditic flowers Flowering occurs as a progression.

The fruit are circular and about 1 in (2.5 cm) wide; they hang in drooping clusters. The peel is tan, thin, and leathery with tiny hairs. The flesh is translucent, and the seed is large and black with a circular white spot at the base. This gives the illusion of an eye. The flesh has a musky, sweet taste, which can be compared to the flavor of lychee fruit.

The longan tree is somewhat sensitive to frost. Longan trees prefer sandy soil. While the species prefers temperatures that do not typically fall below 4.5 °C (40 °F), it can withstand brief temperature drops to about −2 °C (28 °F). Longan trees prefer sandy soil with mild levels of acidity and organic matter. Longans usually bear fruit slightly later than lychees.

The wild longan population have been decimated considerably by large-scale logging in the past, and the species used to be listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. If left alone, longan tree stumps will resprout and the listing was upgraded to Near Threatened in 1998. Recent field data are inadequate for a contemporary IUCN assessment.

The fruit is sweet, juicy, and succulent in superior agricultural varieties. The seed and the peel are not consumed. Apart from being eaten raw like other fruits, longan fruit is also often used in Asian soups, snacks, desserts, and sweet-and-sour foods, either fresh or dried, and sometimes preserved and canned in syrup. The taste is different from lychees; while longan has a drier sweetness similar to dates, lychees are often messily juicy with a more tropical, grape-like sour sweetness.

Dried longan are often used in Chinese cuisine and Chinese sweet dessert soups. In Chinese food therapy and herbal medicine, it is believed to have an effect on relaxation. In contrast with the fresh fruit, which is juicy and white, the flesh of dried longans is dark brown to almost black.

Once fermented, it can be made into longan wine.