Longan

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For other uses, see Long'an (disambiguation).

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Not to be confused with Loganberry.
Longan
Dimocarpus longan
File:Longan tree at Pine Island Nursery.jpg
File:Dimocarpus longan fruits.jpg
Longan fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Rosids
Order:
Sapindales
Family:
Sapindaceae
Genus:
Dimocarpus
Species:
D. longan
Binomial name
Dimocarpus longan
Synonyms[1]
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  • Dimocarpus informis Lour.
  • Dimocarpus litchi Lour.
  • Dimocarpus pupilla Moon nom. inval.
  • Dimocarpus undulatus Wight
  • Euphoria cinerea (Turcz.) Radlk.
  • Euphoria glabra Blume
  • Euphoria gracilis Radlk.
  • Euphoria leichhardtii Benth.
  • Euphoria longan (Lour.) Steud.
  • Euphoria longana Lam.
  • Euphoria malaiensis (Griff.) Radlk.
  • Euphoria microcarpa Radlk.
  • Euphoria nephelioides Radlk.
  • Euphoria undulata Wall. nom. inval.
  • Euphoria verruculosa Salisb.
  • Nephelium longan (Lour.) Hook.
  • Nephelium longana Cambess.

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Dimocarpus longan, commonly known as the longan (UK: /ˈlɒŋɡən/; US: /ˈlɑːŋɡən/), is a tropical tree that produces edible fruit. It is one of the better-known tropical members of the soapberry family (Sapindaceae), to which the lychee also belongs. It is native to Southern Asia.[2]

The longan (simplified Chinese: 龙眼; traditional Chinese: 龍眼; pinyin: lóngyǎn; 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/iris). The seed is small, round and hard, and of an enamel-like, lacquered black. The fully ripened, freshly harvested shell is bark-like, thin, and firm, making the fruit easy to shell by squeezing the fruit out as if one is "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 transport/storage conditions. In China, it is also called guì yuán (桂圆), especially when dried.

File:Dimocarpus longan leaves.jpg
Dimocarpus longan leaves

Tree description

The Dimocarpus longan tree is a medium-sized evergreen that can grow up to 6 to 7 metres (20 to 23 ft) in height. It 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).[3] Longans usually bear fruit slightly later than lychees.[citation needed]

File:Longan Wiki1.webm
Video of longan being peeled and eaten.

The longan was listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.[4]

Culinary uses

The fruit is sweet, juicy and succulent in superior agricultural varieties and, apart from being eaten fresh, is also often used in Asian soups, snacks, desserts, and sweet-and-sour foods, either fresh or dried, sometimes canned with syrup. The taste is different from lychees; while longan have a drier sweetness, lychees are often messily juicy with a more tropical, sour sweetness[citation needed].

The seed and the shell are not consumed.

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[citation needed]. In contrast with the fresh fruit, which is juicy and white, the flesh of dried longans is dark brown to almost black. In Chinese medicine, the longan, much like the lychee, is thought to give internal "heat" (上火)[citation needed].

Longans, raw
File:Frutos Exóticos-LonganFruit-002.JPG
A peeled longan fruit
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 251 kJ (60 kcal)
15.14 g
Sugars n/a
Dietary fiber 1.1 g
0.1 g
1.31 g
Threonine 0.034 g
Isoleucine 0.026 g
Leucine 0.054 g
Lysine 0.046 g
Methionine 0.013 g
Phenylalanine 0.030 g
Tyrosine 0.025 g
Valine 0.058 g
Arginine 0.035 g
Histidine 0.012 g
Alanine 0.157 g
Aspartic acid 0.126 g
Glutamic acid 0.209 g
Glycine 0.042 g
Proline 0.042 g
Serine 0.048 g
Vitamins
Thiamine (B1)
(3%)
0.031 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
(12%)
0.14 mg
Niacin (B3)
(2%)
0.3 mg
Vitamin C
(101%)
84 mg
Minerals
Calcium
(0%)
1 mg
Iron
(1%)
0.13 mg
Magnesium
(3%)
10 mg
Manganese
(2%)
0.052 mg
Phosphorus
(3%)
21 mg
Potassium
(6%)
266 mg
Sodium
(0%)
0 mg
Zinc
(1%)
0.05 mg
Link to USDA Database entry
Vitamin B6/Folate values were unavailable
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Cultivation

Potassium chlorate has been found to cause the longan tree to blossom. However, this causes stress on the tree if it is used excessively, and eventually kills it.[5]

See also

Notes and references

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Further reading

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External links

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  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1998). Dimocarpus longan. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 9 May 2006.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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