Origin | It is believed to be native to the Malay Archipelago, from where it spread westwards to Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka and India; eastwards to Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. |
Description | A red or yellow hairy fruit called rambutan which means “hairy” in Malay. Closely related to lychee, longan, pulasan and mamoncillo. |
Growth Habitat | Rambutan is adapted to warm tropical climates, around 22–30°, and is sensitive to temperatures below 10°C. |
Foliage | The leaves are alternate, 10–30 cm long, pinnate, with 3-11 leaflets, each leaflet 5–15 cm wide and 3-10 cm broad, with an entire margin. |
Flowers | The flowers are small, 2.5–5 mm, borne in erect terminal panicles 15–30 cm wide. |
Fruits | The fruit is oval 3-6cm long and 3-4cm wide. Grows in a loose pendant cluster of 10-20 fruits. The red or yellow leathery skin is covered in soft bristles. The flesh is translucent or whitish with a sweet mildly acid flavor. The seed is mildly poisonous when raw but may be cooked and eaten. |
Harvest | Many trees fruit twice a year. The fruit must ripen on the tree, then they are harvested over a four to seven week period. It should be harvested by hand, cutting the entire fruit cluster from the branch. If individual fruits are picked, it is important to cut them off with a piece of stem attached, to avoid damaging the peel. |
Soil | The tree grows well in heights up to 500 meters above sea-level and grows best in deep soil; clay loam or sandy loam rich in organic matter. They thrive on hilly terrain due to good drainage. |
Pruning | Light pruning is done only to improve the form of the tree and strengthen it. Rambutan trees should be sheltered from strong winds which do much damage during the flowering and fruiting periods. |
Fertilization | Fertilizer requirement for 1-4yrs of NPK is 6:6:6 or 8:8:8 100g/tree increase to 250g/tree, 3 times a year. 5th year onwards only N and K, twice yearly. |
Propagation | Propagation from seeds produce male, female or hermaphroditic (producing flowers that are female with a small percentage of male flowers). Male trees do not produce a crop while the female trees require pollinator to bear well. Hence, vegetative propagation is advocated to maintain the genetic integrity of a variety. |
Nutritional Properties | Rambutans are high in vitamin C, plus copper, manganese, and trace elements of many other nutrients such as potassium, calcium and iron. |
Health Benefits | Eating rambutan can help reduce body fat, make skin softer, improve the condition of one’s hair, treats dysentery and diabeties. |
Commercial Uses | The fruit can be eaten fresh, stewed, canned or dried. The oil from heating the seed could be used in making soap and candles. Seeds are sometimes roasted and eaten in the Philipines although mildly poisonous when raw. |
Food Suggestion | Easy Thai Fruit Salad Recipe Ingredients : - 1+1/2 cups fresh papaya, cubed - 1 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or canned - 1 banana, sliced - 1 cup mango, cubed - 1 cup strawberries, sliced or cut into quarters - 1 cup other fruit, local OR exotic such as blueberries, melon, dragon fruit, lychees, longans, or rambutans - Garnish: starfruit slices Dressing : - 1/4 cup coconut milk - 1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice - 2 Tbsp. brown sugar OR palm sugar Preparation: 1) Stir fruit salad dressing ingredients together in a cup until sugar dissolves. Set aside. 2) Place all the fresh fruit in a mixing bowl. 3) Pour the dressing over and toss well to mix. 4) Pour or scoop the fruit salad into a serving bowl, or into a prepared pineapple boat (as pictured). Garnish just before serving with a star fruit slice Star Fruit Tip: To keep starfruit from going brown after slicing, simply drizzle over some fresh lime or lemon juice. |