Author Topic: I can't believe this is a longan!  (Read 8439 times)

red durian

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I can't believe this is a longan!
« on: January 05, 2013, 06:43:48 PM »
 Had Gourlata not mentioned that the diversity of longan is great, I would have dismissed the blurry label on this tree at the Tenom Horticultural Park as a mistake.  It was labeled as Dimocarpus longan and named "Spiny Tropical Longan".  Can anyone give an educated sigh and say, "Yes, Little Red Durian, it is a longan."  I still find it hard to believe.





SWRancher

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2013, 06:54:53 PM »
Looks like a Longan Urchin.

kh0110

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2013, 07:09:59 PM »
So, how did it taste? Longanish or not?
Thera

murahilin

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2013, 07:38:10 PM »
Yes, it is D. longan. More precisely, Dimocarpus longan ssp. malesianus var. echinatus. I think.

Regular longans are Dimocarpus longan ssp. longan var. longan.

Mike T

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2013, 07:51:29 PM »
Doesn't this tropical subspecies have less flavorful,smaller and thinner fleshed fruit? I bet it would be great rootstock for regular ones in the tropics I bet.   

red durian

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2013, 09:11:35 PM »
So, how did it taste? Longanish or not?

It tasted like a longan with 80% of the flavour removed.

zands

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2013, 09:32:33 PM »
So, how did it taste? Longanish or not?

I heard that someone was able to cross longan with sea urchin (uni). This must be it

tabbydan

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2013, 09:59:25 PM »
seriously very weird stuff...

Looks like longan is trying to scare away insects by appearing to be a hedgehog :)
What's that got to do with Jose Andres $10 brussel sprouts?

zands

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2013, 10:07:36 PM »
seriously very weird stuff...

Looks like longan is trying to scare away insects by appearing to be a hedgehog :)

"The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.”

Anything spiny and smaller indicates more primitive, less bred, lower flesh to seed ratio. Not a negative in all cases. Primitive throwback mangoes can taste great

digigarden

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2013, 01:22:39 AM »
looks almost like a  pulasan  :o

fruitlovers

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2013, 03:14:39 AM »
It's not longan because not all Dimorcarpus longan is a longan. Murahilin i think nailed it. If i remember correcty there are 4-6 subspecies of D. longan malesianus? Red Durian you need to get a copy of the book Wild Vegetables and Fruits of Sarawak, put out by Sarawak Ag department. It's out of print now but you might be able to get a used copy. i think your fruit is included in that book, plus a lot of others that you are having questions about.
Oscar

Gouralata

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2013, 03:20:40 AM »
I agree with Murahilin and you'll can see its picture in the book I mentionned before (p81).

Felipe

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2013, 07:27:47 AM »
It tasted like a longan with 80% of the flavour removed.

Are you saying the fruit was insipid or that it just had a non-longan flavour?
Would you say it's worth growing for the eating quality?

red durian

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #13 on: January 07, 2013, 05:44:40 AM »
It tasted like a longan with 80% of the flavour removed.

Are you saying the fruit was insipid or that it just had a non-longan flavour?
Would you say it's worth growing for the eating quality?

I mean it tasted like a 1:4 ratio of longan to water... but with a longan texture.  It is only worth growing if you like the taste of water.  I would love to come across one in the forest when hiking as a thirst quencher, but on my farm I would use the space for something tastier.  If you like cool-looking fruits, that is another story.

Felipe

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2013, 02:28:51 AM »
RD, thank for the input. I think I would give a try. Do you still have seeds avaible?

red durian

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #15 on: January 27, 2013, 09:50:56 AM »
Yes, it is D. longan. More precisely, Dimocarpus longan ssp. malesianus var. echinatus. I think.

Regular longans are Dimocarpus longan ssp. longan var. longan.


You were right, murahilin.  Excellent work!

murahilin

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #16 on: January 27, 2013, 09:57:39 AM »


You were right, murahilin.  Excellent work!

I love it when I'm right. It happens so often but it still doesn't get old.  ;D

red durian

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #17 on: January 27, 2013, 06:55:57 PM »
This information on the old label has not been transfered to the new label which just says Dimocarpus longan.  I think it was too difficult to read by the time they decided to replace it.

fyliu

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #18 on: January 28, 2013, 04:43:39 AM »
so the common name is spiny tropical longan. looks kind of like the rambutan of longan.

red durian

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #19 on: January 28, 2013, 07:42:55 AM »
so the common name is spiny tropical longan. looks kind of like the rambutan of longan.

I know, it just doesn't look like what a member of this species ought to look like.  It would be like finding out that Don King was a Homo sapien.

fruitlovers

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Re: I can't believe this is a longan!
« Reply #20 on: January 28, 2013, 06:39:52 PM »
so the common name is spiny tropical longan. looks kind of like the rambutan of longan.

I know, it just doesn't look like what a member of this species ought to look like.  It would be like finding out that Don King was a Homo sapien.

There are lots of species that have sub species, and the sub species can look very different from one another. Good example is the Pouteria torta, one subspecies looks like a rambutan. I think the main confusion comes from the common name which includes the word "longan", because it is not a longan. It would be like calling alupag or mata kuching a  longan.
Oscar