Longan

Longan- Dimocarpus longan

It belongs to the soapberry family which includes lychee.  It is native to Southeast Asia.

Longan comes from the Chinese word longyan which literally means “dragon-eye” the reason being when you crack the shell and open it, the black seed inside shows through the translucent flesh of the fruit like a pupil/iris.

The fruit is sweet and juicy.  Squeezing the fruit while the skin is firm makes it easy to open. The flesh of the fruit is white almost translucent and has black seed inside.

The tree can grow up to 23 ft. and prefers sandy soil.

I don’t have a recollection of this fruit when I was a child so I don’t have any information I can add to the subject.  All I know is it is  not native to the Philippines. But it is becoming a popular fruit in the Philippines just like rambutan and lychee.

The only thing I can add is that it is full of nutrional value like proteins and vitamins plus minerals like potassium. Longan is used in Chinese medicine. It has the ability to warm your body.