ArborNote’s Tree of the Week is the Lychee Tree (Litchi chinensis). It is an evergreen subtropical fruit tree native to southern China. The tree grows best in warm and wet areas and grows from 20 to 40 feet tall with a dense, rounded canopy of glossy, dark green leaves. It produces sweet, fragrant red fruits with translucent white flesh that resembles a strawberry. Lychees are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants and are commonly eaten fresh or used in juices, desserts, and drinks. Ancient Chinese emperors famously prized lychees as an elite imperial luxury establishing a rapid horse-relay highway system to rush the highly perishable fruit thousands of miles from southern orchards to the capital daily! The extravagant lengths taken to satisfy this craving turned the fruit into a permanent Chinese symbol of romance, royal indulgence, and extreme devotion.