Litchi chinensis (Lychee)

Native to southern China and southeastern Asia, this evergreen fruit tree has a dense, rounded canopy. Bronze-red new growth is a distinctive feature. Large branching clusters of small greenish-white to yellow flowers develop near the ends of branches. These are followed by bunches of edible fruit with rough, reddish skins. Beneath the peel, sweet, juicy white flesh surrounds a large, shiny brown seed. Bees and flies pollinate the flowers. Reliable fruiting is favored by a cool, dry winter followed by a warm spring and hot, humid summer. In Florida, trees are commonly propagated by air layering because seedlings do not reproduce cultivars reliably. Photographed in Colombia.