Rambutan (රඹුටන්)

The rambutan (taxonomic name: Nephelium lappaceum) is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae. The name also refers to the edible fruit produced by this tree. The rambutan is native to Malaysia, and other regions of tropical Southeast Asia.It is closely.

related to several other edible tropical fruits including the lychee, longan, and mamoncillo. The widest variety of cultivars, wild and cultivated, are found in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Around the 13th to 15th centuries, Arab traders, who played a major role in Indian Ocean trade, introduced rambutan into Zanzibar and Pemba of East Africa.There are limited rambutan plantings in some parts of India. In the 19th century, the Dutch introduced rambutan from their colonies in Southeast Asia to Suriname in South America. Subsequently, the plant spread to tropical Americas, planted in the coastal lowlands of Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Trinidad, and Cuba. In 1912, rambutan was introduced to the Philippines from Indonesia.Further introductions were made in 1920 (from Indonesia) and 1930 (from Malaya), but until the 1950s its distribution was limited.

Flower : small, 2.5–5 mm, apetalous, discoidal, and borne in erect terminal panicles 15–30 cm wide.

Fruit : The fruit is a round to oval single-seeded berry, 3–6 cm (rarely to 8 cm) long and 3–4 cm broad, borne in a loose pendant cluster of 10–20 together. The leathery skin is reddish (rarely orange or yellow), and covered with fleshy pliable spines, hence the name, which means ‘hairs’. Furthermore, the spines (also known as spinterns) contribute to the transpiration of the fruit, which can affect the fruit’s quality.

Seed : The single seed is glossy brown, 1–1.3 cm, with a white basal scar

Height : height of 12–20 m

Leaves : The leaves are alternate, 10–30 cm long, pinnate, with three to 11 leaflets, each leaflet 5–15 cm wide and 3–10 cm broad, with an entire margin

Uses : Fruit Drinks and Eaten as fresh fruit