tropical.theferns.info/viewtropica...tropical.php
Longan is a handsome, erect, fast-growing, evergreen tree with a many-branched crown, usually growing 9 - 14 metres tall but able to reach a height of 25 metres or more. The bole can be 1 metre in diameter, sometimes with buttresses. The fruit is highly valued in the Orient, especially in China, both as a food and as a medicine. It is often sold in local markets and is also sometimes exported. The tree is often cultivated in tropical, subtropical and frost-free warm temperate areas for its edible fruit.