248 DICTIOlSrAEY OF POPULAR ISTAMES LITCHI 



porter. It is used in the preparation of the purgative medicine 

 known as Blach Drauglit 



Litchi, Longan, and Rambutan, the Chinese names for 

 three fruits, produced Tby three species of NephcUum, a genus of 

 the Soapberry family (Sapindaceee). They consist of small 

 trees, seldom exceeding 20 feet in height, having winged, firm 

 leaves. The flowers are small, produced in loose bunches. 1. 

 MpheliwiiZitchi The Litchi is the most celebrated native fruit of 

 China. It is nearly round, about an inch and a half in diameter 

 the shell is tough, becoming brittle, of a chocolate-brown colour, 

 covered all over with wart-like protuberances. When fresh it is 

 filled with a white, almost transparent, sweet, jeUy-like pulp, in 

 which lies a rather large, shining, brown seed ; the pulp is of a 

 delicious sub-acid flavour when fresh. The Chinese dry it, when 

 it becomes black, like a prune, and thus preserve it for use 

 throughout the year ; in this state it is frequently to be seen in 

 the London fruit shops. The species grows freely in hothouses ; 

 before 1859 a plant 12 feet high in the Palm-house at Kewbore 

 an abundance of fine-flavoured fruit. 2. Longan (iV. Longanum). 

 In general appearance this tree is similar to the Litchi, but 

 smaller, and the fruit is also smaller, being about half an inch 

 to an inch in diameter, quite round, nearly smooth, of a dusky 

 brown colour. The pulp is similar to the Litchi in flavour. 

 3. Eambutan {K lapjpacezton)^ a small tree with winged leaves 

 similar to the preceding. The fruit is of an oval form, 2 inches in 

 length, slightly flattened, and of a red colour, covered with long, 

 soft, fleshy spines. It contains a pleasant acid pulp, and is as 

 much esteemed as the pulp of the two preceding. These fruits 

 are in general cultivation in the southern provinces of Cliina 

 and in the islands and countries of tropical Asia. Like most 

 other cultivated plants, there are many varieties, their fruits 

 varying in form, size, and flavour. 4. Dawa, a name in the Fiji 

 Islands for the fruit oi NepJielium pinnatum, a tree 60 feet high, 

 forming forests in Kji, and also found in New Hebrides, N"ew 

 Caledonia, and other islands. Its leaves are pinnate, and when 

 unfolding have a brilliant red tinge, which at a distance con- 



