326 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



improved by cooking, and that preserved longans are considered 

 by some superior to preserved litchis, the flavor being thought 

 more delicate. 



According to Alphonse DeCandolle, the longan is a native 

 of India, whence it has been introduced into the Malay Archi- 

 pelago, southern China, and (recently) tropical America. It is a 

 tree 30 to 40 feet high, resembling the litchi in habit and appear- 

 ance. The leaves are compound, with two to five pairs of elliptic 

 to lanceolate, glabrous, glossy, light green leaflets. The flowers 

 are borne in terminal and axillary panicles, and are small and 

 unattractive. The fruit is round, an inch or less in diameter, 

 light brown in color, with a thin shell-like outer covering, and 

 white flesh (aril) similar in character to that of the litchi but less 

 sprightly in flavor. The single seed is dark brown and shining. 



Meyer says: "The fruit, which is naturally brown, is gen- 

 erally artificially changed to a chrome-yellow. It is eaten 

 fresh, canned, or dried. In the last condition one can obtain 

 it at the Chinese New Year time in the most northern cities 

 of the Empire. There are several varieties of longans, differing 

 in size of fruit, productivity, and size of kernel. Their northern 

 limit of growing seems to be, like that of the litchi, the region 

 around Foochow." 



Analysis of the longan by Alice R. Thompson has shown the 

 ripe fruit to contain : Total solids 17.61 per cent, protein 

 1.41, total sugars 8.34, fat 0.45, and fiber, 0.63. 



In French, the longan is commonly termed ceil de dragon 

 (dragon's eye). The Chinese name is spelled alternatively 

 longyen, long an, lung an, lingeng, and so on. Botanical 

 synonyms of Euphoria Longana are Nephelium Longana, 

 Cambess., and Dimocarpus Longan, Lour. 



In southern California and in southern Florida, the longan 

 thrives and fruits abundantly if planted in situations not subject 

 to severe frosts. It withstands lower temperatures than the 

 litchi and is less exacting in its cultural requirements. P. D. 



