Lychee

A subtropical fruit tree (Litchi chinensis) native to southern China, cultivated there for well over a thousand years and historically prized enough that, according to a well known account, fresh lychees were rushed by relay horse to the Tang dynasty imperial court to satisfy a favored consort's craving. The small, sweet, translucent fruit is enclosed in a rough, bright red husk and has a very short postharvest shelf life, which historically limited trade to nearby regions until refrigerated and air transport made global export practical. China and India remain the largest producers, with significant cultivation also in Southeast Asia, Madagascar and parts of South Africa and Australia.