THE LYCHEE #;, AND LUNGAN 



CHAPTER I 

 INTRODUCTION 



Few world centers are so conspicuously characterized by two 

 distinct and native fruits as is South China by the lychee and the lung- 

 an. He who in the West has had a Chinese numbered among his 

 friends or acquaintances has doubtless seen the lychee in its dried 

 form. This so-called " Chinese" or "lychee nut" has for years been 

 the favorite Christmas or New Year gift of Chinese living abroad. 

 As a result of their generosity it is to-day one of the most popular 

 Chinese agricultural products on the Western markets and is of increas- 

 ing commercial importance. The lungan is even more rarely met 

 in the West than is the lychee. But he who has lived or visited in 

 South China in the summer season will never forget the curious little 

 "dragon-eye" which follows on the markets immediately after the 

 lychee and which is quickly recognized as the little brother of this 

 fascinating fruit. 



The lychee (23t) , Lilchi chine nsis Sonn. , indigenous to South 

 China and cultivated extensively only in that region, is marketed and 

 relished throughout the length and breadth of the Chinese Republic. 

 It is famous throughout Asia where it is preserved in various forms 

 an'd is used in a variety of fancy dishes. The dried form is commonly 

 served on the tables of Pacific steamships, and in Europe and America 

 it appears in Chinese restaurants and in the homes of connoisseurs. 



The lungan (flH&) Euphoria longana-Lam., is similarly dried 

 and used by the Chinese but to a more limited extent than is the 

 lychee. In medicine, however, it has a wider use than has the 

 lychee. In recent years both of these fruits have appeared in canned 

 form, preserved in sugared syrup. The labels on the tin cans are 

 printed in both Chinese and English and are very similar to those of 

 western fruits now rapidly making inroads on Chinese markets. In 

 both the canned and dried forms the lychee and lungan are delicious 

 products; but they cannot be fully appreciated except when eaten 

 freshly picked from their attractive evergreen trees. 



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