In Groff’s book, later referred to, he has this to say about the ancestors of the Brewster Lychee.

"Of the various Chinese treatises on the Lychee, that of Ts'ai Hsiang, A.D. 1059, is the earliest and most famous." He treats of the extent of territory over which the lychee is grown and proclaims his zeal to place this fruit in the position it deserves among the fruits of the world. He had artists draw pictures of the best varieties he had seen and these he classified. In the second chapter he deals with the Lychee in his native province, Fukien, and he names one variety, the "Chen family purple lychee" of which he says that though there are a thousand varieties and ten thousand trees, no other one can compare with this. He says of it, "When the Chen family are about to harvest their crop of lychee, they close all their gates or doors and people desiring to purchase the fruit must hand in their money through an aperture in the wall, receiving in return its equivalent in lychee fruit. For that which the purchaser was able to obtain he was thankful and considered himself lucky, never daring to argue whether the price was too much or too little."

Groff writes that Dr. Olfert Dapper, Dutch traveler in his work published in Amsterdam in 1670, reports that in Chungkinfu, Szechwan, the lychee grows everywhere in great abundance; and that in south-west Fukien, especially in Hinghwafu, it grows in still greater abundance. He says that when the tree is in fruit it seems to be decorated with purple hearts and is greatly admired by onlookers. He concludes, "The flesh almost melts like sugar in the mouth, and does not hurt anybody. Rightly may this fruit be called 'Queen of Fruits'."


The soil requirements of the Lychee are about the same as for citrus, the tree preferring a somewhat acid soil. A pH of 6 seems best. The water table should be at least two and one-half feet down.

We quote from the bulletin on "The Litchi in South Africa" by Dr. Raimond H. Marloth, officer in charge of the subtropical experiment station at Nelspruit, E. Transvaal:

"A favorite situation for the Chinese to plant their litchi trees is on dykes between the rice fields and on banks of streams. This ensures that the roots of the tree always have access to an abundance of water right throughout the year, particularly from time of flower-bud differentiation (May-June in South Africa) to fruit harvest (December-January in South Africa). However, it is essential, first, that this underground supply of water be moving, for stagnant water results in rotting of roots, and secondly, that the surface of