lychee

litchi

, lichee, lichi, lychee

1. a Chinese sapindaceous tree, Litchi chinensis, cultivated for its round edible fruits

2. the fruit of this tree, which has a whitish juicy edible aril

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

lychee

[′lī‚chē]

(botany)

A tree of the genus Litchi in the family Sapindaceae, especially L. chinensis which is cultivated for its edible fruit, a one-seeded berry distinguished by the thin, leathery, rough pericarp that is red in most varieties. Also spelled litchi.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.