PLANT

The lychee 'Kway may pink' o China cherry (Litchi chinensis) is a plant of the family Sapindaceae, the only species of the genus Litchi.
It is a tropical and subtropical plant native to southern China and South-East Asia, now cultivated in many parts of the world.

FRUIT

The fresh fruit has a delicate white flesh, fragrant

PROPERTIES

Lychee is rich in vitamin C, so much so that 100 grams of pulp provide more than 80% of the recommended daily intake; it also has traces of many other vitamins, especially those of the B group.
Very low in fat and sodium, it instead supplies the body with copper, phosphorus and potassium, which make the heart and circulatory system tonic.
The fruit possesses a wealth of polyphenols with antioxidant properties and in Chinese folk medicine is indicated as a remedy for headaches, probably due to the vasodilating properties of nicotinic acid. This latter substance facilitates the purification of the blood by cleansing it of bad cholesterol and other toxic substances, and so together with other active ingredients with antioxidant power, it can be regarded as a functional food precisely towards the prevention of arteriosclerosis.
Finally, in lychee there is a polyphenol called oligonol with antioxidant and anti-flu activity so it is able to fight viruses.

CULTIVATION

For flowering and subsequent fruiting, lychees need a winter rest period, at temperatures close to 0°C (cannot tolerate frost, take shelter). In nature, the lychee is a dominant plant in the forest. It therefore grows taller than other trees in the same environment by reaching more light. This must also be respected in cultivation. They should therefore be placed in full sun.