The Fijian Longan – Pometia pinnata
The Fijian Longan is Pometia pinnata (syn. Pometia pinnataongan) and it is a tropical to sub tropical fruit widely grown through Asia. The common names are “Taun, Kasai, Matoa and Dawa” depending on the area or origin.
The plants can either give Green, Red, or Purple fruit depending on variety.
Fruit is around the size of a Nectarine, they have a hard outer shell with a translucent yellow to lemon colures flesh.
Also known as the Island lychee, it originally comes from the Pacific Islands from New Guinea and Indonesia to Malaysia. The taste of the fruit is not as sweet as a Lychee, and it appears in terminal bunches. The fruit is picked and is eaten fresh.
Fijian Longan Care
On maturity theFijian Longan can grow to be a tall tree, reaching to around 15 – 20 metres in height. When grown for fruit production they are best pruned to facilitate harvesting. In New Guinea, the trees are also grown for timber
The best varieties are the grafted types as they produce superior fruit and are longer lived.
A humus rich soil is required and these plants thrive on high phosphate fertilisers.
- Humus rich soil.
- Moist and well drained soil.
- Fertilise regularly to promote strong growth.
- Prune to size as required.