LYCHEE CULTIVAR NAMES
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Litchi chinensis
FAMILY: Sapindaceae
Naming system
The naming system in this farmnote has been developed to provide a simple set of names which can be pronounced by Australians yet are based on the original Chinese names. This is a practical system suitable for adoption by horticultural advisers, growers, nurserymen and home gardeners.
The system has been endorsed by the Plant Production Committee of the Standing Committee on Agriculture on which all State Departments of Agriculture and CSIRO are represented.
Standardized spelling
Some problems arose in deciding on standardized names for varieties of Chinese origin.
The Cantonese names are most familiar to Australians and indeed most Chinese outside northern China.
However, Cantonese has no official status as a language in China because Mandarin ('putonghua') is the official national language.
An officially-endorsed system of writing Mandarin in the Roman alphabet is available - this system is known as 'Pinyin' which is now familiar to Australians in the revised names of Peking (Beijing) and Canton (Guangzhou) - but no such system now exists for Cantonese.
However, it was decided to stay with the Cantonese names because lychee growers and nurserymen are already familiar with many of these names and it is difficult to pronounce the Pinyin (Mandarin) names without training because of the peculiar phonetic system of Pinyin and the complex and unfamiliar tonal variations required.
With the help of several Cantonese-speaking people, a set of spellings was devised which results in a reasonable pronunciation when read by unbriefed Australians (see column headed "recommended name" in Tables 1 and 2)
The Pinyin names will be useful for cross-referencing to Chinese literature and correspondence with Chinese lychee experts (fourth column of Table 1 and third column of Table 2).
Table 1. Chinese Lychee Varieties Available in Australia
| Recommended name for Australian use (Based on Cantonese pronunciation | Names used for the same variety in other countries* (Additional to Pinyin spelling) | Names and spelling variations previously used in Australia + and now not recommended | Pinyin (Mandarin) Name in China | Meaning of Pinyin and Cantonese Names | Comments |
| Tai So | Mauritius and HLH Mauritius (South Africa) Hong Huey and Maw Mong (Thailand) Charley Tong (Hawaii) | Kwai Mi | Da zao | Big crop | Most common variety in Australia. Consistent bearer. Vigorous but susceptible to limb breakage. Fruit quality fair. |
| Haak Yip | Oh Hia and Baidum (Thailand) Woo Yip (China) | Haak Ip 1 Hak Ip, Hak Yip | Hei yue | Black leaf | Fruit quality good. Skin smooth with an even pattern. Leaflets dark green, long and pointed. Branches fragile. |
| Seong Sue Wai | Gee Kee. Broad Leafed Haak Ip. Taem Jip Ly Ernst No Mai Chee (ex Limberlost) | Shang shu huai, also known as Shang zhi | Minister's embrace | Fruit small, skin slightly rough, quality medium to good. Seeds mostly small. Leaflets long, oval shape | |
| Wai Chee | Kim Cheng (Thailand) Sweet Cliff (Florida) | Wai Chi | Huai zhi | Cherished lychee | Last to be harvested. Regular bearer. Slow growing. Quality medium to good. Leaflets small, short, oval-shaped. Susceptible to wind damage. |
| Souey Tung | Souey Tung#, Haak Yip and Yuan Chee (China) | Groff (ex KHRS) | Shui dong | East of waterways | Fruit similar to Haak Yip but lopsided heart-shaped. Harvest two weeks before Haak Yip |
| Kwai May Red | Bosworth 10 Lee GB3** | Guei wei | Cinnamon flavoured or sweet-scented osmanthus aroma | Fruit skin feels thorny at maturity. Quality very good. Seeds mostly small. Irregular bearer in China. | |
| Kwai May Pink # | Bosworth 3 | Guei wei | |||
| No Mai Chee (Standard) | 2 | No mi ci | Glutinous rice cake | Quality excellent. Seeds nearly all small in most seasons. Leaflets with characteristic twist towards tip. Fruit heart-shaped with blotchy red and yellow skin colour. | |
| No Mai Chee (Late) | No Mai Chi (ex Salathiel) No Mai Chi (ex Rodgers) | No mi ci | Similar quality to the standard No Mai Chee but matures later. Leaflets lack the twist and the fruit is ellipse-shaped |
*Some of these names have been used for separate importations of the variety into Australia and the names can be retained to identify these separate lines as strains. The variety and strains are written in the form: 'Tai So' - Mauritius strain.
+ Including known Australian sources of the varieties.
# The pink strain is considered to be standard in China although the red form is possibly more common. The pink strain is characterised as the 'duck head green' Kwai May. The 'duck head green' refers to the dark green or black tubercle tips near the fruit stalk.
** Tentative identification only.
Recent evaluation (Jan 1983) indicates that:
1. Some Haak Yip selections may in fact be Souey Tung.
2. Nearly all older introductions of No Mai Chee (standard) may in fact be Kwai May Red.
Table 2. Other Chinese Lychee Varieties
| RECOMMENDED NAME FOR AUSTRALIAN USE | OTHER NAMES USED FOR SAME VARIETY | CURRENT OFFICIAL PINYIN (MANDARIN) NAME | NAME MEANING | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sum Yee Hong * | Yook Ho Pow (China) | San yue hong | Third month red | Earliest cultivar. Very large fruit (40g), lopsided heart-shaped. Quality fair. |
| Bah Lup + | Dian bai bai la (Pinyin, China) | Bai la | White cured meat or White Wax | Fruit moderately large (24g). Quality medium. |
| Fay Zee Siu | Xiao zhi (Pinyin, China) | Fe zi xiao | Concubine laughing | Historically famous variety. Large fruit (30g). Quality good. Seed small. Skin thorny like Kwai May |
| Kwa Lok * | Gua lu | Hanging Green | Quality good. Seed full. Skin smooth, dark red with slight green tinge. Alternate bearer in China. | |
| Chong Yun Hong | Zhuang yuan hong | Royal Red | Round fruit (22g), thick purplish-red skin. Flavour fragrant-sweet. Quality good but yields low. | |
| Tim Naan # | Tian yin | Sweet rock or cliff | Fruit small (15g). Seed very small. Quality fair. | |
| Sai Kok Zee | Xi jiao ze | Rhinocerus horn | Fruit small (14g). Seeds mostly small. Quality medium. | |
| Heong Lai | Xiang li | Fragrant Lychee | Fruit small (10g). Aromatic. Quality good. Seed very small. Fruit prone to splitting. | |
| Ah Neong Hai | Niang xi (Pinyin) | A niang xie | Lady's shoe | Fruit large, quality good. Late maturing but seed large and alternate bearing |
| Soot Wai Zee | Xue huai zi | Snow White lychee | As late as Wai Chee but larger fruit. |
* Recently imported from Hong Kong.
+ The synonym 'Dian bai bai la' (Pinyin) distinguishes this variety from a different variety grown around Guangzhou (Canton) which is also known as 'Bah Lup'. This latter 'Bah Lup' was originally called 'Bah Lup Zee; (Bai la zi - Pinyin) and is best distinguished as such.
# Recently imported from Hawaii.
Order of Harvest
Sum Yee Hong
Souey Tung
Bah Lup
Fay Zee Siu
Tai So
Haak Yip
Kwa Lok
Chong Yun Hong
Tim Naan
Sai Kok Zee
Heong Lai
No Mai Chee (standard)
Seong Sue Wai
Ah Neong Hai
Soot Wai Zee
Wai Chee
However, there may be some variation under Queensland conditions.
The complete set of varieties should give a harvest period of 9 to 11 weeks at one location. However, not all districts have climatic suitability for the full range.
As a broad rule of thumb, early season varieties are more suited for warm areas whilst mid-to-late season varieties perform best in cooler areas (south Queensland/northern New South Wales.
Chinese varieties
The most important varieties in Guangdong (Kwangtung) province of China are:
Sum Yee Hong
Souey Tung
Fay Zee Siu
Haak Yip
Kwai May
No Mai Chee
Wai Chee.
The first two of these are not yet freely available in Australia and the third has only very recently been imported.
Other varieties not yet imported, which one day may be of value to Australia are:
Tong Bok (Tang bo in Pinyin) Pond embankment or River bend.
Hong Pay (Hong pi) Red skin
Bo Dy (Bu dai) Pocket
Choo Mah Zee (Qu ma zi) China grass fibre.
Table 3. Other Lychee Varieties in Australia
| VARIETY | ORIGIN | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| Bengal | Florida | A seedling selection. Parent tree probably 'Purbi' in West Bengal (India). Fruit heart-shaped; seed pointed; leaflet wavy. Often wrongly called 'Brewster' In Australia. Reasonable bearer but quality ordinary, Bengal has also been called Bedana (incorrectly). |
| Brewster | Florida | Claimed by some to be Chen zi (Chen family purple) from Fukien, China, but does not fit a recent description of Chen zi. Fruit and seed oblong, bright red. Tree vigorous with wide, strong, reinforced branch crotches. |
| Groff | Hawaii | A Haak Yip seedling selection. Bears in Hawaii where other varieties fail due to poor flower initiation. Leaflet tapering, flat, very wavy. |
| Muzaffarpur | India | Also known as 'Shahi' and 'Late Large Red' in India. Very important cultivar in Bihar and West Bengal. Fruit large, oblong: seed large, blunt, oblong. |
Other Lychee varieties
Several other varieties have been imported from Hong Kong, Thailand, India, South Africa and the United States of America. Some of the Thai varieties appear to be renamed Chinese varieties (see Table 1).
The varieties Mauritius and H. L. H. Mauritius from South Africa, Maw Mong and Hong Huey from Thailand, and Charley Tong from Hawaii are very similar to or identical with Tai So (see Table 1).
These names may be retained as names for 'strains' within the Tai So 'group' until proven identical with Tai So. They should be written as (for example): 'Tai So' - Mauritius strain.
Other varieties which have been imported through Kamerunga Horticultural Research Station over the last five years are:
Amboina (originally from Indonesia?)
Peerless (ex Florida)
Cheng
Erewhon
Hong Thai
Jim Jee
Kaloke Bai Yaow
Kom
Kom Hom Lam Chiak
Luk Lai
Sampao Kaow (all from Thailand).
Some of these varieties may in fact be renamed Chinese varieties.
There has been some confusion over 'Brewster' and 'Bengal' in Australia. The variety common in the nursery trade is 'Bengal'.
In contrast to 'Brewster', 'Bengal' has wavy leaflets and the seed of 'Bengal' is distinctly pointed (see Table 3).
The true 'Brewster' rarely exists outside of arboreta at present, and is not likely to become important because of its poor bearing behaviour. However, it has not been adequately evaluated, particularly in colder areas where It may perform well.
The name 'Bedana' formerly given to 'Bengal' is also an incorrect identification.
DATE: May 1983
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