Editing Lychee (section)

== Taxonomy ==

[[File:Sonnerat litchi.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Pierre Sonnerat]]'s drawing from ''Voyage aux Indes Orientales et à la Chine'' (1782)<ref name="Sonnerat">Sonnerat, P. (1782) Voyage aux Indes Orientales et à la Chine, fait par ordre du Roi, depuis 1774 jusqu'en 1781. Tome second, p. 230. Paris.</ref>]]

''Litchi chinensis''  is the [[Monotypic taxon|sole member]] of the genus ''Litchi'' in the [[Sapindus|soapberry]] family, [[Sapindaceae]].<ref name=Purdue/>

It was described and named by French naturalist [[Pierre Sonnerat]] in his account "''Voyage aux Indes Orientales et à la Chine, fait depuis 1774 jusqu'à 1781''" (translation: "Voyage to the East Indies and China, made between 1774 and 1781"), which was published in 1782.<ref name="Sonnerat" /> There are three subspecies, determined by flower arrangement, twig thickness, fruit, and a number of [[stamen]]s.
* ''Litchi chinensis'' subsp. ''chinensis'' is the only commercialized lychee. It grows wild in [[South China|southern China]], northern [[Vietnam]], and [[Cambodia]]. It has thin twigs, flowers typically have six stamens, fruit are smooth or with protuberances up to {{convert|abbr=on|2|mm}}.
* ''Litchi chinensis'' subsp. ''philippinensis'' (Radlk.) Leenh. It is common in the wild in the [[Philippines]] and rarely cultivated. Locally called ''alupag'', ''mata-mata'', or ''matamata'' due to its eye-like appearance when the fruit is opened, it has thin twigs, six to seven stamens, long oval fruit with spiky protuberances up to {{convert|abbr=on|3|mm}}.<ref name="USDA2">{{GRIN | ''Litchi chinensis'' subsp. ''philippinensis'' | 102744 | access-date = 2013-10-30}}</ref>
* ''Litchi chinensis'' subsp. ''javensis''. It is only known in cultivation, in [[Malaysia]] and [[Indonesia]]. It has thick twigs, flowers with seven to eleven stamens in sessile clusters, smooth fruit with protuberances up to {{convert|abbr=on|1|mm}}.<ref name="Purdue" /><ref name="Menzel">{{cite book |author=Courtney Menzel |title=Litchi and longan: botany, production and uses |publisher=CABI Pub |location=Wallingford, Oxon, UK |year=2005 |page=26 |isbn=978-0-85199-696-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=49PB5MhHqkcC&pg=PA26}}</ref>