Longan

Dimocarpus longan

Bengali: aa(n)sh phal

A minor commercial fruit related to more celebrated litchi, middle-sized evergreen tree bark, with spreading branches, and dense, dark green, shining foliage that has two to five pairs of leaflets

Bark: Smooth, yellowish grey

Leaf: Feather compound, without terminal leaflet 4-6 pairs, usually oppositely arranged. Glossy deep green above, pale below

Flower: very small, yellowish white borne in large open clusters (faintly resembles mango flower)

Fruit: spherical, in pendulous clusters with rough, thin, scale-like rind containing a large black seed surrounded by a thin layer of white juicy edible sweetish pulp with onion-like smell

Season: The flowers appear in March and April, and the fruit ripens in- June

Range/habitat: The tree is a native of south-western India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.

Trivia and notes: At least in Bengal usually considered as a low pedigree fruit and “poor man’s litchi”.

Where to find: In Rabindra sarobar one young tree is there in north east side of the lake GPS: 22.51107N, 88.3634E close to a large Sisso tree (both are labelled)