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Longan Wikipedia

Taxobox_begin | color = lightgreen| name = Longan
Taxobox_image | image = Image:Longans.jpg|240px | caption = Longan fruit
Taxobox_begin_placement | color = lightgreen
Taxobox_regnum_entry | taxon = Plantae
Taxobox_divisio_entry | taxon = Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta
Taxobox_classis_entry | taxon = Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida
Taxobox_ordo_entry | taxon = Sapindales
Taxobox_familia_entry | taxon = Sapindaceae
Taxobox_genus_entry | taxon = Dimocarpus
Taxobox_species_entry | taxon = D. longan
Taxobox_end_placement
Taxobox_section_binomial_botany | color = lightgreen| binomial_name = Dimocarpus longan| author =
Taxobox_end

The Longan (Dimocarpus longan; 龍眼, in Pinyin l?ngyǎn, in Cantonese language|Cantonese long-ngan, meaning "Chinese dragon|dragon eyes") is an evergreen tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native to southeast Asia from southern China south to Indonesia.

The fruit is edible, and is often used in East Asian soups, snacks, desserts, and sweet-and-sour foods. They are round with a thin, brown-coloured inedible shell. The flesh of the fruit, which surrounds a big, black seed, is white, soft, and juicy.

Longans and lychees come out in around the same time of the year. Dried longan (a.k.a. 圓肉, in Pinyin yu?nr?u; lit. round meat) are often used in Chinese food therapy and Chinese medicine|herbal medicine. It is considered to possess a nourishing property.

Last Modified:   2005-04-13