Longan

Longan is not commonly seen in San Diego. It's fruit is almost indistinguishable from lychee fruit, except smaller. The tree grows large, over 20 feet tall and 30 feet wide even in our desert climate. In it's original Southern Asian growth habit it can grow to 30 feet up to 100 feet. The fruits from a mature tree can be much more plentiful than a homeowner could eat. The tree should definitely be used in landscaping here in San Diego for food production. The fruit is sweet, juicy and delicious. The peeled translucent fruit has a seed inside which is black, which looks like a dragon eye. The name comes from the Cantonese luhng-ngaahn meaning literally dragon eye.