1,500 year old lychee tree still bears fruit

An ancient lychee tree in southwest China's Sichuan province has revived after 11 years of absence, producing fruit all over its branches.

1,500 year old lychee tree still bears fruit

Ancient lychee tree in Sichuan province. Video: ECNS

The 1,500-year-old lychee tree has a trunk diameter of 5.6 m and a height of 16 m. In 1958, experts determined that the tree was planted before the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The fruit of this lychee tree was once offered as tribute to emperors. Although more than a thousand years have passed, the tree’s branches and leaves are still lush.

In 2019, the Sichuan provincial government confirmed and announced that this was a grade 1 ancient tree, then put the lychee tree on the local protection list. The ancient lychee tree had not produced fruit for 11 consecutive years, so when the tree suddenly produced a full load of fruit this year, the villagers were very surprised.

"We are very proud to have such an ancient tree with such a long history. I really want to taste the sweetness of lychees from thousands of years ago," a Sichuan resident shared. This is not the first time ancient lychee trees have been found in Sichuan, some others are more than 1,270 years old.

The lychee ( Litchi chinensis ) is a tropical fruit tree native to southern China. It is a medium-sized evergreen tree, growing to 15–20 m tall, with alternate pinnate leaves. The fruit is rich in vitamin C. It requires a hot tropical and subtropical climate with frost-free or mild winters with temperatures not falling below -4 °C and hot, rainy summers with high humidity. It grows well on well-drained, slightly acidic soils rich in organic matter (humus).

An Khang (According to Global Times )

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