Longan facts for kids
The longan (scientific name: Dimocarpus longan) is a special tree. It belongs to the soapberry family, just like the lychee. This tree comes from southern Asia.
The longan fruit is small and round. When you peel off its thin, brown skin, you'll find a white, clear fruit with a hard, black seed inside. It looks a lot like an eyeball! This is why its name in Chinese means "dragon's eye." The English name "longan" comes from how it sounds in Cantonese, a language spoken in southern China.
Longan fruit is edible and tastes very sweet. People often eat it fresh or use it in cooking. It's also good for you, containing healthy nutrients.
Most longan trees are grown and harvested in China. People there have known about this fruit since the Han dynasty, a very long time ago! There are many old legends about the longan fruit in China. However, people in the Western world didn't learn about it until the late 1700s.
Quick facts for kids Longan |
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"Longan" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
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| Traditional Chinese | 龍眼 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 龙眼 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "dragon eye" | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Contents
What is a Longan Tree?
The longan tree is a type of evergreen tree. This means it keeps its green leaves all year round. It can grow quite tall, sometimes reaching up to 20 meters (about 65 feet) high. The tree has a wide, spreading canopy, which provides lots of shade.
Where Longan Trees Grow
Longan trees love warm, tropical weather. They grow best in places with plenty of sunshine and rain. Besides China, you can find longan trees growing in other parts of Asia, like Thailand, Vietnam, and India. They are also grown in some warmer parts of the United States, such as Florida.
The Sweet Longan Fruit
The longan fruit grows in clusters, like grapes. Each fruit is small, usually about 1 to 2.5 centimeters (0.4 to 1 inch) wide. The skin is thin, rough, and light brown. It's easy to peel off.
How to Enjoy Longan Fruit
Longan fruit is usually eaten fresh. You can simply peel it and pop the juicy, sweet flesh into your mouth. Be careful not to eat the hard, black seed inside! People also use longan in many dishes. It can be added to desserts, sweet soups, and even some savory meals. Dried longan is also popular and is used in traditional Asian medicine and teas.
History of Longan
The longan fruit has a very long and interesting history. It was first grown in southern China.
Ancient Beginnings
Records show that longan fruit was enjoyed in China as far back as the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). This means people have been eating and growing longan for over 2,000 years! It was considered a valuable fruit and was often given as a gift to emperors and important people.
Longan in the Western World
Even though longan was well-known in Asia for centuries, it was not known in the Western world until much later. It was first described by European explorers and botanists in the late 1700s. One of the first detailed descriptions was in a book called Flora Cochinchinensis, published in 1790.
Images for kids
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Longan fruit with flesh, seed, and peel visible.
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Longan (Dimocarpus longan) tree leaves
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Longan tree lower trunk
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The longan was described in Joao de Loureiro's work, Flora Cochinchinensis, published in 1790
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See also
In Spanish: Ojo de dragón para niños
