20 
In India several varieties are very highly esteemed. A variety 
known as " McLean" is said to be one of the best in that country. 
Another under the name "Muzaffarpur Seedless," is practically seed- 
less in many of its fruits. "Bedana" is another small-seeded, sweet 
variety. "Dudhia" is quite unusual in that it is white. "Rose 
Scented" is a fruit of large size and very agreeable flavor. "China" 
is a late-season variety. 
BOTANICAL STATUS AND RELATIONSHIPS. 
Closely related to the litchi is the longan or loongyan, Euphoria 
longana or Dimocarpus longan. This, which has been mentioned 
above, 1 is a tree . attaining a height of 40 to 50 feet and producing 
abundant straw-yellow fruits about three-quarters of an inch in 
diameter. The fruits, sometimes called dragon's eyes, are borne in 
terminal or axillary clusters and have a shell-like covering similar 
to that of the litchi and a fleshy aril surrounding the seed but free 
from it. In texture it is quite similar to the litchi, but in flavor it is 
not equal to that fruit. The longan is indigenous to British India. 
De Candolle states that it is wild "from Ceylon and Concan as far as 
the mountains to the 'east of Bengal, and in Pegu." 2 It was early 
introduced into the Malay Archipelago and China, where it is now 
extensively cultivated for its fruits. The statement has been made 
that it is of slower growth than the litchi, but this certainly does not 
hold true under Hawaiian conditions, where it is a robust tree far 
exceeding the litchi in vigor and rapidity of growth. As in the case 
of the litchi, seedlings frequently are very tardy in coming into 
bearing. 
Another closely related species is the rambutan (Nephelium lappa- 
ceum), believed to be a native of the Indian Archipelago and now 
cultivated very generally about Singapore and the Straits Settle- 
ments. The fruits are borne in clusters and are considerably larger 
than those of the litchi, with a leathery pericarp and soft fleshy 
spines. The rambutan apparently never has been introduced into 
Hawaii, probably because of the short life of the seeds and the diffi- 
culty of transporting the young trees. It is believed the careful and 
painstaking effort which would be required in introducing the ram- 
butan and in testing its adaptibility would be fully repaid. 
Still another of the relatives of the litchi is the pulassan (Nephelium 
mutabile), which closely resembles the rambutan but is said to be 
even more highly prized in its native country. 
Until recently all the species mentioned above have been placed 
in the genus Nephelium, the litchi being designated Nephelium litchi; 
the longan, N. longana; the rambutan, N. lappaceum; and the pulas- 
i Vide, p. 11. 2 Origin of Cultivated Plants, London, 1884, p. 315. 
