What is a lychee tree?

The lychee tree is a native Chinese tree that features a round top with dense foliage and a gray, brittle trunk. The lychee produces yellow-green flowers and oval-shaped fruit that is either red or pink in color.

The Lychee tree was first discovered in the provinces of Kwangtung and Kukien, in the southern portion of China. Hawaii saw its first lychee trees in 1873. About ten years later, in 1883, residents of California and Florida began growing the trees. Some of the lychees in California are over 100 years old, as they are slow-growing but become hardier as they grow.