Longan is one of popular fruit trees in the tropics. It is about 5-10 meter in height. Rough bark is grey. There are many branches and leaves on the tree’s body with green color all year round. They usually flower in the Spring (month of January, February, April) with color in light yellow. Flower grows in cluster at the top of the branches or space between leaves. The fruit is round with gray yellow, almost are smooth. Their seeds are shining black, surrounded by white cloth. Season of fruit is about month of July, August.
There are many varieties: longan with thin white cloth, longan with lot of water. In addition, there are famous brand as follows:
– Brand of longan in Ba ria – Vung Tau province (it’s normally called “yellow, canoe-shaped longan”)
It is planted by seeds, thickness pulp, color yellow, drained, brittle, very sweet, they are very popular on the market. The recognizable characteristics are canoe-shaped fruit. For unripe fruits, their stem are red. For ripe fruits, their peel are yellow cowhile. This brand of longan is suitable for sand areas.
– Brand of Hung Yen longan
An “ancestor” longan tree with hundreds of years old are still in Thien Ung pagoda, further referred to as Hien pagoda, belongs to Hong Chau ward, Hung yen town. The brand of longan coming from Hung yen are famous juicy, so they have been used to offer the King. As well so that, they are also called “offered longan”.
Name of “big longan or nhan long” derived from the work when they are ripe, people use bamboo cages in order to keep birds, bats away from fruits. Hung Yen longan have big size, thick peel with dark yellow. Their pulp are thick and drain, lot of water, small seeds, sweet as candy.
– Brand of “tieu da bo longan” or “Que longan”
Originating from Hue. Small fruit, thin skin, smooth and light golden brown.
Dried longan pulps are plastic, brown or dark brown, which are used as food and as a medicine that are used in Oriental medicine to treat the neurological disease forgetfulness, panic, depressed, difficulty sleeping. Seeds are used to treat the impetigo, shampoo, broken arm and legs. And also, dried longans are also used in processing some “che”.
