THE LIT CHI AND ITS RELATIVES 329 



follows : Saccharose 7.8 per cent, dextrose 2.25, and levulose 

 1.25. 



In climatic requirements the rambutan must be considered 

 strictly tropical. It thrives in Ceylon up to elevations of 2000 

 feet, which means that it does not grow in the cooler parts of 

 the island. It likes a moist hot climate and may not, therefore, 

 succeed anywhere on the mainland of the United States, al- 

 though there is a possibility that it might be grown in extreme 

 southern Florida. It should be practicable to grow it in many 

 parts of the American tropics. 



Little is known regarding the culture of the tree. It succeeds 

 on deep, rich, and moist soils, but its adaptability as regards 

 soil and other conditions is not definitely understood. It is 

 propagated by seed, and by air-layering in the same manner 

 as the litchi; it has also been inarched successfully. Mature 

 trees are productive, the bearing habits of the rambutan re- 

 sembling those of the litchi. It is said that there are fifteen 

 varieties, differing in color, size, and flavor, cultivated in the 

 Malayan region, but they are not well known horticulturally. 



THE PULASAN (Fig. 43) 

 (Nephelium mutabile, Bl.) 



In the markets of Singapore, the pulasan is sold as a variety of 

 the rambutan. It is, however, a distinct species and is known 

 elsewhere in the Malayan region under a different name. 



The tree, which is considered to be indigenous in Java and 

 Borneo, is not well known horticulturally. The leaves are 

 compound, with two to four pairs of oblong to elliptic, acumi- 

 nate leaflets commonly 5 to 10 inches long, glabrous and shining 

 above, glaucous beneath. The fruit is larger than that of the 

 rambutan, with a stouter stem, and is borne in closely-crowded 

 clusters of three to five fruits, instead of loose clusters of a 

 dozen or so. The pericarp or outer covering is thick, sometimes 



