Nephelium lappaceum

Rambutan, Nephelium lappaceum, is medium-sized tree growing only about 9 - 15 m in height with a straight bole that is usually around 40 - 60 cm in diameter. It is evergreen and has an open, spreading crown. One of the most popular fruit tree worldwide, Rambutan is named as such for the hairy protuberances of the fruit - 'Rambut' means 'hair' in the Malay-Indonesian language. The leaves are alternate, pinnate, and comprised of 3 to 11 leaflets per leaf. The flowers are small. Rambutan fruit is non-climacteric, meaning it does not produce a ripening agent after being harvested. It has a limited shelf life and bruised easily. It is round to oval, single-seeded, with reddish leathery skin covered with pliable spines. The sed is glossy brown and soft. The fruit is eaten raw or cooked, and the seed is roasted and eaten. Rambutan is used medicinally in the treatment of fevers, diarrhea, and headaches among other various diseases. The wood is moderately hard to heavy, tough, and easy to work but usually too small to be valued as timber. Propagation method is through grafting, air-layering, and budding.

Nephelium lappaceum is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m by 20 m at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. The flowers are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: medium and heavy soils. Suitable pH: acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils.
It can grow in semi-shade or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Rambutan grows best in the lowland humid tropics at an elevation below 600 metres, though it can also be grown non-commercially up to 1,950 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 21 - 35°c, but can tolerate 10 - 42°c. When dormant, a mature plant mat survive temperatures down to about -1°c, but young growth does not tolerate any frost and will be severely damaged at 4°c. Temperatures down to about 5 - 6°c will cause defoliation. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,000 - 3,000mm, but tolerates 1,400 - 4,000mm. It prefers climates with all-year rain, but can tolerate up to 2 - 3 dry months. Prefers a sunny position, though young trees appreciate the shelter and dappled shade of trees growing overhead. Prefers a clay loam soil, though it can be grown in a wide range of soil types, even ones with poor drainage, so long as they are not water-logged. Requires a moist fertile acid soil rich in organic matter. Requires shelter from drying winds. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7.5. Seedling trees take 6 - 8 years to produce their first crop, whilst grafted trees can fruit in their second year. Fruit yields increase for the next 8 - 10 years;the tree has an economic life of about 15 - 20 or even 30 years, whilst it might live for up to 60 years. Trees usually fruit twice a year, yielding 1,000 - 1,500 fruits per tree per year at age 5 - 7 years and 5,000 - 6,000 fruits per tree for older trees. Very good trees may yield up to 170 kilos per tree and yields per hectare may be from 2 - 20 tonnes. There are many named varieties. Trees are usually dioecious, but most commercial cultivars behave hermaphroditically and are self-fertile. Spacing: 30-40 ft. .