What variety of imported Lychee fruit i bought?

[Picko Jack]

In the end of June i bought 2 kilos of lychee fruit from nearby fruit vendor here in east java. just wonder what variety they are? it taste very sweet with no acid or astrigent...flesh was thick and smaller fruit even had shrunken seed. i think it was imported from china since there chinese character printed on the box. aniway, most of lychee fruit in indonesia imported from thailand and most of it was Kom cultivar (similiar to bosworth or mauritius - not sure) it was small in size with some sweet acid flavor. so it just curiousity of mine....

[HMHausman]

The only fruit we have here in Florida that has the oblliquely attaching stem like the ones pictured, is Emperor.  Those fruits seem a bit small for Emperor, but that still could be the correct ID.  Since they come from China, where lychees are native, it could be many other things, which we folk away from the homeland of the lychee would have no idea about.

Harry

[Mike T]

I don't know if the oblique attachment is the natural condition.I don't know emperor and it is not a name or alternative name ever used to my knowledge in Australia.The picture looks like what I know as haak yip ,due to the smooth skin and disticntive color.Oh Hia is an alternative name that may be the same type and Souey Tung (syn. groff) is a seedling of haak yip that is similar.I think they are used in Taiwan for canning and go by a different name.Out of interest I found what happened to the giant yook ho pow lychees in australia that just all disappeared one day.They all became Sum yee hong.

[Picko Jack]

Thank You Harry and Mike...i know its not an easy thing to ID fruit cultivar by only one single (amatir) photo....and the skin color of the fruit also not represent it true color when it fresh. its a kind of browning cause by chiller along the sipping process. i think the true color is deep red. although your information above were so helpfull...at least i can go search on the net by that. btw, i plant the seeds and it start to grow...wanna see its leaf shape afterall...

[Picko Jack]

....and Mike, will you post about this giant yook ho pow lychees? iy will very intresting story about this promising cultivar that suddenly disapear and how do they became sum yee hong...

[HMHausman]

What we grow as Hak Ip and Ohia are definitely not what is pictured here.  Of course who knows what we are growing versus what Mike is seeing. The oblique stem attachment and ridge at the top of the fruit are the same top as what we see in the fruit we call Emperor.  Beyond that, who knows.

Harry

[Mike T]

http://rfcarchives.org.au/Next/Fruits/Litchi/LycheeVarieties5-83.htm

This was the naming conventions from nearly 30 years ago and they seem to have stuck here with a few extras.




This is a haak yip shot from hawaii showing the smoother skin and slight purply colour.The name means black leaf.I saw a shot on google called emperor that I would have called haak yip.I think the names are not always the same between places.

[Mike T]

http://www.australianlychee.com.au/index.php/about-lychees/varieties

Here are photos of a few that helps consumers identify the varieties.They key 6 or 7 have been left off.

[fruitlovers]

I don't know if the oblique attachment is the natural condition.I don't know emperor and it is not a name or alternative name ever used to my knowledge in Australia.The picture looks like what I know as haak yip ,due to the smooth skin and disticntive color.Oh Hia is an alternative name that may be the same type and Souey Tung (syn. groff) is a seedling of haak yip that is similar.I think they are used in Taiwan for canning and go by a different name.Out of interest I found what happened to the giant yook ho pow lychees in australia that just all disappeared one day.They all became Sum yee hong.

Mike, emperor = Chakapat in Thailand. They can't be Groff as all Groffs are chicken tongue seeds and the photo showed fully formed seeds. Harry, i don't think China exports Chakapat, that usually comes from Thailand. I think best way to id the cultivar is to scan or photograph Chinese characters on the box and have one of our Chinese forum members translate it.

[Mike T]

Ok thanks Oscar.The 1983 translation and standardization of names came about because of confusion and a need to line up chinese and local names for trade and consistency purposes.

[Picko Jack]

Sorry Fruitlover, unfortunatly i did'n take the pict of the box of those fruit...maybe im to exited and rushly goin home to enjoy that rare fruit :p (yes its rare in my town since its not every year the local fruit importer take lychee from china) in fact, i'e been livin here for 5 years and there only on 2010 and this year i've found thise fruit. i post more pict an even pict from 2010....i notice there are some variation to it skin....some fruit were bumpy....and others were smooth, although they came from same box (don't know if its just normal for variation of skin texture in same cultivar)



2010 picture

[fruitlovers]

My guess would be either No Mai Tze or Emperor from external appearance. But don't think Emperor is grown in China, so would narrow it down to No Mai Tze. Then again there are so many cultivars in China that we don't have here that it's very hard to pin it down. Go back to the grocer and take a photo of the box if you can. Maybe they can even translate it for you at the store?

[Mike T]

Now I have a close look they are not haak yip as you point out Oscar but have some similarities.I am sure I have seen that type before.

[simon_grow]

Looks a lot like Emperor to me.  The stem attachement to the fruit, like Harry mentioned is very typical of Emperor. 
Simon