When Do Lychees Ripen? A Complete Guide to the Latest Harvest Times

When do lychees ripen? Generally, lychees ripen from June to July each year, but because lychee varieties differ, their ripening times differ as well. Below, the editor will explain in detail exactly when different varieties of lychees ripen!

Sanyuehong

Sanyuehong generally ripens in late March of the lunar calendar. Because it comes to market early, it is named Sanyuehong (Third Month Red); it is the earliest-ripening variety, mainly produced in Xinhui, Zhongshan, Zengcheng and other places in Guangdong. The fruit is heart-shaped, wide at the top and pointed at the bottom, with crackled segments of uneven size arranged irregularly and a suture line that is not very obvious. The skin is thick and pale red; the flesh is yellow-white, slightly chewy, with a coarse texture; the seed is large; the taste is sour with sweetness, leaving some residue after eating.

Yuanzhi

Yuanzhi generally ripens in late May or early June. Also called Shuidong or Shuidong Heiye, it is distributed in the suburbs of Guangzhou and the counties of the Pearl River Delta. Because it is suited to watery planting sites and its leaves are pointed and long, resembling Heiye but thinner, it is named “Shuidong Heiye”. The fruit is short oval, with one shoulder higher and one lower; the crackled segments are slightly flat and broad, not prickly to the touch, and regularly arranged; it should be deep red; the flesh is soft, smooth and juicy, sweet with a touch of sourness and a faint fragrance.

Heiye

Heiye usually ripens in mid-June. Also called Yezhi or Wuye, it is named for its deep green, almost black leaves, and is cultivated in Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi. The fruit is short oval, with a rounded or blunt top and a flat base; the skin is deep red and the shell is relatively thin; the crackled segments are flat and blunt, uniform in size and regularly arranged; the cracks and suture line are obvious; the flesh is firm, crisp, sweet and juicy, and most fruits have large seeds. It keeps relatively well in storage.

Gualü

Gualü usually ripens from late month to early July. It is a premium variety among the lychees of Zengcheng, Guangdong, and one of the famous Guangdong lychee varieties; in feudal times it was listed as tribute. Lingnan Lizhi Pu records: its fruit “has a protrusion beside the stem that is slightly higher, called the dragon head, and a protrusion on the other side that is lower, called the phoenix tail. When ripe, red and green alternate, with a single green line running all the way through, hence the name.” The fruit is as large as a chicken seal, the seed as small as a pea; the skin is dark red with green, the crackled segments are flat and the suture line is obvious; the flesh is thick, crisp, intensely sweet and juicy, with a fresh fragrance on the tongue.

Huaizhi

Huaizhi usually ripens in early July. Huaizhi is also called Miye, Fenghua, Gufeng, Huaizhi or Huaizhi. The fruit is spherical or nearly round, with a flat stem end; the shell is thick and tough, deep red; the crackled segments are large, slightly raised or nearly flat, irregularly arranged, with occasional fine, dense but sparse prickles near the stem end; the flesh is milky white, soft, clear and juicy, sweet with a touch of sourness; the seed is large and long, with occasional small seeds. It is suitable for drying.