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Litchi a fruit of Litchi chinensis (family Sapindaceae),
consisting of a thin, brittle shell enclosing a sweet, jelly like pulp
and a single seed. The original home of litchi is in China. It was introduced
to Burma and India by the end of the 17th century. Litchi can be grown
in every district of Bangladesh, however, presently it is being grown
mainly in rajshahi,
rangpur,
dinajpur,
jessore,
kushtia,
mymensingh
and narayanganj.
It stands second in production after mango
among the tree fruits grown in the country.
Litchi plants are medium to large, much branched, round-topped
and evergreen, reaching up to 12-15 metres. Leaves pinnately compound,
leaflets 4-7, glossy-dark above and light green beneath. The tender,
young leaves are brown and borne in periodic flashes.
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Litchi, Rajshahi |
The inflorescence is a compound raceme, bears small,
off-white unisexual and bisexual flowers. The fruit is a one-seeded nut,
develops in bunches and varies in shape and size. The edible portion of
litchi is called aril, lies under the papillate, pinkish-red pericarp
and completely surrounds the dark-brown, oily skinned seed. Litchi plant
requires warm, humid climate for vegetative growth. Dry hot air is injurious
for the fruits. Deep, loamy-alluvial soil is most suitable for litchi.
Although it cannot tolerate waterlogging, it favours moist soils as the
roots form mycorrhizae rapidly in soggy environment.
Most of the litchi varieties presently grown in different
countries have been introduced from China. There are some seedling selections
with promising fruit qualities in many countries. There is no such named
variety of litchi in Bangladesh. Nevertheless there are many local selections
with commercial fruit qualities under the main two types: deshi and
bombai. The edible portion (50-75% of fruit wt) of litchi contains
mainly carbohydrate (sugars), protein, fat, vitamins (B & C), calcium,
and iron. The Litchi is usually eaten fresh. But it makes an excellent
drink and canned fruit. Dried litchi, known as "litchi nut" is very popular
among the Chinese. [Muhammad Nurul Amin] |
