Longan Varieties

Longan Varieties in Florida

Country of origin	Cultivar	Fruit size¹	Seed size¹	Fruit quality²	Bearing habit	Season
USA-Hawaii	Kohala	M-L	S-M	G-VG	Erratic	mid-July-Aug.
USA-Florida	No. 1	M-L	M-L	VG	Erratic	Aug.- Sept.
USA-Florida	No. 11	M	M	G	Erratic	Aug.-Sept.
USA-Florida	No. 12	M-L	M-L	G	Erratic	Aug.-Sept.
USA-Florida	Degelman	M-L	S	G-VG	Erratic	Aug.-Sept.
USA-Florida	Kay Sweeney	M	S-M	G	Erratic	Aug.-Sept.
USA-Florida	Ponyai	M-L	S-M	G-VG	Erratic	mid-July-Oct.
Thailand³	Biew Kiew (Beow Keow) Also known as Beau Kaew ⁴	M-L	S-M	G-VG	Erratic	late July-Sept.
Thailand³	Chompoo I	L	S-M	G-VG	Erratic	?
Thailand³	Haew	L	L	G	Erratic	?
Thailand³	Edau (Daw)	M-L	S-M	G	Regular?	late July-Sept.
Thailand³	Diamond River (Petch Sakorn)	M	M	F-G	Regular?	Sept.-Oct.
1, Fruit and seed size: S, small; M, medium; L, large. 2, Fruit quality: G, good; VG, very good. 3, Data mostly taken from evaluations in Australia.

A number of new and re-introductions including 'Edau' ('Daw'), 'Chompoo', 'Haew', and 'Biew Kiew', also known as 'Beau Kaew' ⁴, are under evaluation by several institutions and producers. However, nothing superior to 'Kohala' has been identified.

Although there are numerous longan cultivars in Southeast Asia, the cultivar diversity is lower in other regions. The following cultivars are the most commonly cultivated in Puerto Rico, Florida and Hawai'i:

'Kohala'


Fig. 1	Fig. 2

‘Kohala’ - This Hawai'ian selection is the primary commercial and home-garden cultivar in Florida. It offers consistent production and large fruit of sweet flavor and good quality. Most agree that 'Kohala' remains the best all-around commercial cultivar. The fruit matures early, usually in July. ²

'Diamond River'


Fig. 3	Fig. 4

‘Diamond River’ - One of the recently introduced cultivars is named 'Diamond River'. This cultivar is from Thailand and is reported to fruit every year, be precocious, produce off-season, and produce a sizeable late season crop. However, fruit quality is only fair and the tree is very susceptible to limb breakage. ¹

'Biew Kiew' Also known as 'Beau Kaew' ⁴

Fig. 5

‘Biew Kiew’ - Also known as 'Beau Kaew' ⁴. This Thai variety bears large fruit of superior quality. Indeed, the flavor is widely regarded to be among the best of any of the longans. thus far, its bearing habits have been steady in Florida. It is a mid-season variety, with fruit ripening from late July through September. ²

'Si Chompoo'

Fig. 6

‘Si Chompoo’ - This Thai variety exceeds 'Kohala' in overall quality, but its bearing habits have not been adequately assessed. The aril is reportedly pink-tinged in Thailand. In Florida, this trait has not been evident. The fruit is firm fleshed, has a small seed, and has an excellent, perfumed flavor. Fruit ripen from late July through August. ²

'Ponyai'

Fig. 7

'Ship'i' - Very large size, less tasty, late season, planted in Florida
'Ship' i' ('Snake skin') has the largest fruit, as big as a small lychee and slightly elongated. The skin is rough, the seed large, some of the juice is between the rind and the flesh, and the quality is low. Its only advantage is that it is very late in season. ³

Further Reading
Longan Growing in the Florida Home Landscape, University of Florida^pdf
TREC Tropical Fruit Collections, UF/TREC/IFAS^pdf

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Bibliography

¹Crane, Jonathan H., et al. "Longan Growing in the Florida Landscape." Horticultural Sciences Department, University of Florida, IFAS Extension, HS-49, Publication Nov. 1978, Revised Apr. 1994, Nov. 2000, Sept. 2005, Oct. 2008, and Nov. 2016, Reviewed Dec. 2019, EDIS, edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg049. Accessed 8 Jan. 2017, 9 Apr. 2020.
² Boning, Charles R. Florida's Best Fruiting Plants- Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines. Sarasota, Pineapple Press, 2006.
³ Fruits of Warm Climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, 1987.
⁴ Crane, Jonathan H. "Longan 'Beau Kaew'." TREC Tropical Fruit Collections, 2006, UF/TREC/IFAS, trec.ifas.ufl.edu/crane/pdfs/TREC-Fruit-Collections.pdf. Accessed 9 Apr. 2020.

Photographs

Fig.^1,2 Maguire, Ian. 'Kohala' longan fruit. N.d. edis.ifas.ufl.edu. University of Florida. Web. 5 June 2015.
Fig.³Maguire, Ian. 'Diamond River' longan fruit. N.d. edis.ifas.ufl.edu. University of Florida. Web. 5 June 2015.
Fig.^4,5,6,7Photo Gallery of Longan Accessions. N.d. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. ars.usda.gov. Web. 5 June 2015.

Published 13 Mar. 2015 LR. Last update 9 Apr. 2020 LR