What are the latest lychee varieties? A detailed introduction to the characteristics of new varieties
China has many lychee varieties. According to a survey from the early years after Liberation: Guangdong had 82 varieties; Fujian had 41 varieties; the varieties of Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Taiwan and other provinces (regions) have no reliable statistics. Among them, Guiwei and Nuomici are excellent varieties and are also the choice for fresh eating; Gualv is an even more precious and hard-to-find variety. “Luogang Guiwei”, “Bicun Nuomici” and “Zengcheng Gualv” are known as the “Three Outstanding Lychees”. Huiyang Zhenlong Guiwei and Nuomici are even more delicious and sweet.
The following are several common main varieties:
1. Sanyuehong
Named Sanyuehong because it ripens in late March of the lunar calendar. It belongs to the earliest-ripening type. It is mainly produced in Xinhui, Zhongshan and Zengcheng in Guangdong, and Lingshan and other counties in Guangxi. The fruit is heart-shaped, broad at the top and pointed at the bottom; the tubercles vary in size and are arranged irregularly; the suture line is not very obvious; the skin is thick and pale red; the flesh is yellow-white, slightly chewy, with a coarse texture, a large stone, and a sweet-and-sour taste, leaving some residue after eating. Because it comes on the market early, it is still welcomed by consumers.
2. Yuanzhi
Yuanzhi is also called Shuidong or Shuidong Heiye. It is distributed in the suburbs of Guangzhou and the counties of the Pearl River Delta. It is named because it is suitable for planting in areas with plenty of water and its leaves are pointed and long, similar to Heiye but thinner. The fruit is short oval or lopsided heart-shaped, with one shoulder high and the other low; the tubercles are slightly flat and broad, and should be deep red; the flesh is soft, smooth and juicy, sweet with a touch of sourness, and slightly fragrant. It ripens in late May or early June.
3. Heiye
The fruit is short oval, with a rounded or blunt top and a flat base; the skin is dark red, the shell is relatively thin, the tubercles are flat and blunt, uniform in size and regularly arranged, and the cracks and suture line are obvious; the flesh is firm, crisp and refreshing, sweet, fragrant and juicy, and most have large stones. It ripens in mid-June. It stores relatively well.
4. Huaizhi
Huaizhi is also called Miye, Fenghua, Gufeng, Huaizhi (it is said that in ancient times a minister passed through Lingnan and put the lychees given by the villagers into his bosom, hence the name), and Huaizhi. It is the most widely cultivated and highest-yielding variety in Guangdong. It is suitable for both fresh eating and drying. The fruit is spherical or nearly round, with a flat stem end; the shell is thick and tough, dark red, and the tubercles are large, slightly raised or nearly flat, irregularly arranged, with occasional small sharp spines near the stem end, dense but few; the flesh is milky white, soft, clear and juicy, sweet with a touch of sourness, and the stone is large and long, occasionally small. It ripens in early July.
5. Guiwei
Guiwei is also called Guizhi, named because it contains the fragrance of osmanthus. It is one of the finest varieties, and the best is produced in the suburbs of Guangzhou and Lingshan County in Guangxi. Guiwei has two strains: Quanhong and Yatoulv. The fruit is spherical, the shell is pale red, thin and crisp; the tubercles are raised, small and pointed, and there is a relatively deep ring groove around the top of the fruit on both sides from the stem shoulder; these two features are characteristic of Guiwei; the flesh is yellow-white, soft and plump, the stone is small, and the taste is very sweet. It ripens in early July.
6. Nuomici
Nuomici is also called Mizhi, and is the most valuable variety in Guangdong. It is a famous Guangdong specialty fruit known at home and abroad. It is mainly produced in Luogang District in the suburbs of Guangzhou and Xintang Town in Zengcheng City, followed by Conghua, Dongguan and other counties. The fruit is heart-shaped or nearly round, and the crooked fruit stalk is a varietal characteristic; when first marketed it is yellow-waxy in color, and at its peak it is bright red; the tubercles are large and narrow-long, arranged longitudinally, sparse, and slightly convex, and the suture line is broad and obvious; the top of the fruit is plump and the stem end is slightly sunken; the flesh is thick, the stone is small, and the flesh is yellow-white and semi-transparent, with soluble solids reaching 20%, an extremely sweet taste, a rich fragrance, and a glutinous yet tender and smooth texture, with excellent quality. It is the variety consumers like most. It is most suitable for fresh eating and drying. It ripens in early July. There are two strains: Hongpi Danuo and Baipi Xiaonuo.
7. Yuanhong
Yuanhong is also called Zhouhe, and is mainly produced in Minhou County, Fuzhou City, Fujian. The fruit is heart-shaped, with a plump top; the fruit stalk is long; the skin is purple-red, the tubercles are small, with small spines in the center, and the suture line is not obvious; the flesh is relatively thin, milky white, the stone varies in size, and the taste is sweet with a touch of sourness. It ripens in mid-July.
8. Lanzhu
Lanzhu is mainly produced in Longhai, Nanjing, Zhangzhou and other counties and cities in Fujian. There are two strains, red and green. The fruit is heart-shaped, with a plump top; the fruit stalk is thin; the tubercles are medium-large and spineless; the skin is relatively thin, the stones vary in size, with large stones in the majority; the flesh is milky white, sweet and sour, and of medium quality. It ripens in mid-July. Besides fresh eating, it is suitable for canning and drying.
9. Chenzi
Chenzi is the finest of Fujian lychees, and when ripe it gives off waves of delicate fragrance that refresh the heart. It is most famous in the Putian and Xianyou area. Cai Xiang. Lychee Manual. This variety was already introduced to the United States at the beginning of this century, and is also cultivated quite a lot in southern Australia.
10. Gualv
Gualv is a rare treasure among the lychees of Zengcheng, Guangdong, and is also one of the famous Guangdong lychee varieties. In feudal times it was listed as a tribute item. “Lingnan Lychee Manual” records: its fruit “has one side beside the stem raised slightly higher, called the dragon head; the other side raised lower, called the phoenix tail. When ripe, red and green alternate, with a green line running all the way through, hence the changed name.” The fruit is as large as a chicken seal, and the stone is as small as a pea; the skin is dark red with green; the tubercles are flat and the suture line is obvious; the flesh is thick, crisp and refreshing, richly sweet and juicy, with a fresh fragrance in the mouth and a uniquely good flavor. It ripens from late June to early July. At the 2002 Green Lychee auction held in Zengcheng City, Guangdong Province, a single lychee actually sold for the astonishing price of 555,000 yuan. This lychee was picked from the old Gualv tree in “Xiyuan” in Zengcheng. The tree has a history of more than 400 years, bears very little fruit each year, and its characteristic is that the shell color is four parts slightly green and six parts red, with a green line running vertically through the fruit body, and the flesh is crisp with a slight fragrance in the mouth; after peeling off the outer skin, it does not wet the paper when wrapped. It became the most expensive fruit in history.
11. Shuijingqiu
Shuijingqiu originates in Guangdong. The flesh is crisp and refreshingly sweet, the flesh color is transparent, and the stone is small. It is an excellent variety with a cultivation history of several hundred years. Chen Ding's “Lychee Talks. records: Shuijingqiu “white flower, white shell, white flesh, from the stone, yet the juice is like blood, sweet in taste, and its fragrance penetrates the heart and lungs.”
12. Feizixiao
In Sichuan it is called Tuoti, and in Taiwan it is called Lvhebao or Yuhebao. The characteristics of Feizixiao are that the skin is green-red, the fruit is large, the flesh color is like white wax, crisp and refreshing and lightly sweet, and the stone is small. Legend has it that when Emperor Ming of Tang sent lychees a thousand li to win a smile from Consort Yang, the lychee sent was Feizixiao. (A galloping horse raises dust as the consort smiles, and no one knows it is the lychees that have arrived.)
13. Baitangying
Baitangying is also called Fengtangying (Dianbai). It is an early-ripening variety, with the main production area in Genzi Town, Gaozhou, Maoming City, and it is also sporadically cultivated in Yangjiao Town, Dianbai and other places. It has a cultivation history of about two to three hundred years.