Rambutan, Nephelium lappaceum tree originated in the lands of the Malay Archipelago. It is an evergreen, medium-sized equatorial fruit tree that gets to a height of 10-20 meters. Rambutan is a member of the Sapindaceae family. Rambutan is close related to numerous other edible tropical fruits including the Mamoncillo, Lychee and Longan.


The leaves are alternate, 10-30 cm in length, with 3-10 leaflets, each leaflet 5-15 cm long and 3-10 cm across. The blossoms are small, 2.5-5 mm, borne in erect terminal panicles 15-30 cm in length. The fruit is a rounded drupe,that could reach up to 8 cm in length and 3-4 cm wide, borne in a loosen pendant bunch of 10-20 together.

Rambutan Fruit

The fruit has soft but fleshy hair and leathery skin, reddish occasionally orange or yellow in color and a shiny brown, 2-3 cm long seed with a white basal mark. The skin is cast away but the white, sweet and succulent flesh is edible and very tasteful. The seed is soft and crisp. It is mildly poisonous when raw, but could be cooked (roasted) and eaten. The fruit is commonly sold fresh but also used in cooking jams and jellies, or canned.

Evergreen rambutan trees with their overabundant colored fruit make attractive landscape specimens. Rubutan is a popular garden fruit tree and propagated commercially in small groves. The soundest quality rambutan fruit is in general that which is harvested standing connected to the branch. Rambutan trees yield twice each year, once in late autumn and early on in wintertime with a briefer season in later spring and early summertime. The delicate nutritious fruit must mature on the tree. The fruit matures 15-18 weeks after blossoming.

Rambutan trees are either male (developing only flowers and no fruit), female (developing flowers that are only functionally female), or hermaphroditic (developing flowers that are mostly female with a small portion of male flowers). Most commercial cultivars are hermaphroditic. Female flowers make 2-3 times more nectar than male flowers. Cross-pollination is essential since pollen is missing in most functionally female flowers. Research has indicated that rambutan, like lychee, is generally reliant upon insects, particularly bees, for pollination.

Rambutan Propagation Methods

The tree does best on rich clay-loam or rich sandy loam with plenty of organic matter, or in deep peat. It requires good drainage. Propagation is by seeds. Rambutan seeds, once removed from the fruit and complete washed, should be sown horizontally with the flattened out side down in order that the seedling will grow upright and have a normal, sound root system.

Seeds will sprout in 9 to 25 days. Seedlings bear fruit in 5-6 years. An average tree could produce 60-70 kg of fruit. The ratio of female trees to male trees during germination is 4 to 7. Few pests or diseases have been reported by growers.

rambutan, Nephelium lappaceum

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