Longan Tree

Kohala longan is an evergreen fruit tree valued for its sweet, translucent fruit and dense canopy. In South Florida it is grown both as a productive backyard tree and as a shade or specimen tree. ## Size and fruiting The [University of Florida IFAS longan guide](https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/edibles/fruits/longan/) reports typical South Florida trees about 30–40 feet tall. Selective pruning can maintain a more accessible canopy around 10–15 feet tall and 15–30 feet wide. The [IFAS cultivar table](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG049) describes Kohala fruit as medium to large, of good to very good quality, with an erratic crop that commonly ripens from mid-July through August. ## Growing conditions Choose a sunny site with well-drained sandy soil. Water young trees during establishment; for bearing trees, IFAS recommends watering when bloom begins and regularly through harvest, while avoiding persistently wet soil. Longan trees are evergreen and can become broad-canopied landscape trees. ## Maintenance Selective pruning after harvest can control height and spread and improve light and air movement through the canopy. Longan is sensitive to cold: IFAS reports severe injury to young trees around 29–31°F and possible death around 26–28°F, so protect young trees from freezing conditions.