IFAS Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service
Many people enjoy the flavor of lychee and longan, but there's
another member of this family that is not seen as often, particularly in
Florida, but if you travel to other tropical areas it sometimes can be
purchased in local markets. The fruit I am referring to is the rambutan,
Nephelium lappaceum, which is native to Malaya. This is a large spreading
tree with evergreen compound leaves and it produces terminal clusters of
flowers during the early spring, with the fruits usually ripening during
the summertime.
The oval-shaped fruits are about the size of a chicken's egg and
have long soft fleshy spines covering the surface. There are usually two
forms seen commonly, red or yellow, and sometimes it is known by the nickname
"hairy cherry". The edible portion of the fruit is underneath the skin, and
it has a soft melting subacid flavor with a rather large seed. The flesh
color is white, and in some varieties the pulp is attached to this seed;
in others it is free.
Rambutans are difficult to grow in areas that experience frost since
they are not cold hardy and are damaged at temperatures below 40°F. In
protected locations or greenhouse culture, though, rambutans can be grown
to fruiting size from air layers, grafts, or seed. In the tropics in some
years, seed-grown rambutans have been reported to have fruited in as little
as three to four years after planting. However, air-layered or grafted trees
are quicker to produce.
The fruit season is quite short, often lasting only three to four
weeks or less, and it is primarily a summertime fruit in most of the tropical
areas where it is common. Trees grow rapidly, three to four feet a year,
and seem to be tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions. On alkaline soils
though, micronutrient problems often develop that require nutritional sprays
to help correct. Trees near ocean areas or salt water where wind is a problem
may experience some scorching or burning of leaves under windy conditions.
Trees are difficult to find in nurseries because there are no or
few fruiting specimens in Florida. Seeds, though, may be obtained from outside
Florida, and trees may also be shipped in.
© 2000 BGCII Page posted March 2004
