Rockstone --
Interesting question about his cousin to the lychee tree. However,
being a subtropical tree native to Thailand and areas of China, it
appears that the occasional ice and snow in Dallas/Ft. Worth would be
a problem.
The University of Florida Agricultural Extension says, "Longans
produce more reliably in areas characterized by low non-freezing
temperatures (59 degrees F; 15 degrees C or less) and a dry period
during the fall and winter (October-February)."
Additionally, care has to be taken to avoid freezing temperatures when
the tree is young. Young trees may be severely damaged by any
temperature below freezing and be killed in the 26-28 degrees F (-2 to
-3 degrees C) range, according to the Extension Service. (The lychee
itself is said to be slightly more cold-tolerant.)
As a result, most of the longan cultivation in the U.S. is occurring
in southern Florida, away from frost, and in Hawaii. All sources
recommend planting in the spring during the rainy season:
University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service
"The Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) in Florida," (Crane/Balerdi/Sargent, undated)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_MG049.html
This USDA monograph doesn't treat the specifications for handling the
longan tree as well as the University of Florida site, but is an
interesting look at growers problems with the tree, particularly with
trace elements:
"New Options for Lychee and Longan Fans and Farmers," (Wood, May 2004)
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/may04/lychee0504.pdf
Note that most other sources support Florida's contentions regarding
the cold-sensitivity of the longan tree, including this description:
University of Southampton
"Longan," (June 10, 2002)
http://www.civil.soton.ac.uk/icuc/longan.htm
However, a University of California page contends that longan trees
are actually more cold-tolerant than lychee trees. It says that
MATURE longan trees can stand brief temperatures as low as 22 degrees
F:
UCal/Ventura County Extension
"Longan" (Vieth, 2004)
http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/counties/ceventura/Agriculture265/Longan.htm?$=104
Google search strategy:
Longan tree
Best regards,
Omnivorous-GA |
