Lychee (HT 2001 02)

Reference ID
HT 2001-02

Scientific name: Litchi chinensis
Family name: Sapindaceae
Girth: 6.9 m @ 0.8 m height
Height: 19.2 m

Location
Mount Rosie Road,
opposite House No. 11J

A slow-growing evergreen tree that reach a height of between 9-30m. Crown is dense and rounded in shape. Leaves are pinnately compound (10-20cm long) and have smooth, glossy, leathery leaflets (5-7cm long). Flowers are tiny, petal-less, greenish-white to yellow in colour. Fruits are bright red, round (2-3cm across), rough, textured skin. Seed, single, covered in sweet juicy translucent flesh.

The Lychee is a native of Southern China and has been widely cultivated for its prized fruits for more than two millennia. The Lychee is a long-lived tree related to the Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), Longan (Dimocarpus longan), Pulusan (Nephelium ramboutan-ake) and Mata Kuching (Dimocarpus lichi) fruit trees, but it seldom fruits under local conditions.

Mount Rosie was a private driveway in the 1800's, leading to grand bungalows, and named after Ms Rosie de Souza, wife of Mr Theodore H Sohst, a wealthy merchant who had lived there. They are still lined with some Lychee including this tree.

This Heritage Tree had a girth of 8.1m when measured in Year 2001.

For more information on this species, please refer to NParks Flora & Fauna Web profile here.

Gallery

Heritage Tree in 2023, with supports
(📷: Brendon Phuah)

Heritage Tree in 2011
(📷: Heritage Tree Secretariat)