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The lychee, litchi, leechee, or lichee (''Litchi chinensis''; (中国語:荔枝)) is the sole member of the genus ''Litchi'' in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to the Guangdong and Fujian provinces of China, and now cultivated in many parts of the world.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=''Lychee'' )〕 The fresh fruit has a "delicate, whitish pulp" with a floral smell and a fragrant, sweet flavor. Since this perfume-like flavor is lost in the process of canning, the fruit is usually eaten fresh.〔 An evergreen tree reaching tall, the lychee bears fleshy fruits that are up to 5 cm long and 4 cm wide (2.0 in × 1.6 in), approximately 20g. The outside of the fruit is covered by a pink-red, roughly textured rind that is inedible but easily removed to expose a layer of sweet, translucent white flesh. Lychees are eaten in many different dessert dishes, and are especially popular in China, throughout Southeast Asia, along with South Asia and parts of Southern Africa.〔〔 China is the main producer of lychees, followed by India, with production occurring among other countries in Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and South Africa.〔 The lychee has a history and cultivation going back to 2000 BC according to records in China. Cultivation began in the area of southern China, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Wild trees still grow in parts of southern China and on Hainan Island. There are many stories of the fruit's use as a delicacy in the Chinese Imperial Court. It was first described and introduced to the West in 1656 by Michal Boym, a Polish Jesuit missionary (at that time Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth). == Taxonomy == ''Litchi chinensis'' was described and named by French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat in his ''Voyage aux Indes orientales et à la Chine, fait depuis 1774 jusqu'à 1781'' (1782). There are three subspecies, determined by flower arrangement, twig thickness, fruit, and number of stamens. * ''Litchi chinensis'' subsp. ''chinensis'' is the only commercialized lychee. It grows wild in southern China, northern Vietnam, and Cambodia. It has thin twigs, flowers typically have six stamens, fruit are smooth or with protuberances up to . * ''Litchi chinensis'' subsp. ''philippinensis'' (Radlk.) Leenh. It is common in the wild in the Philippines and rarely cultivated. It has thin twigs, six to seven stamens, long oval fruit with spiky protuberances up to .〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Taxon: Litchi chinensis Sonn. subsp. philippinensis (Radlk.) Leenh. )〕 * ''Litchi chinensis'' subsp. ''javensis''. It is only known in cultivation, in Malaysia and Indonesia. It has thick twigs, flowers with seven to eleven stamens in sessile clusters, smooth fruit with protuberances up to .〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Lychee」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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