Stats

Lifespan: 15-20 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Southeast Asia
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Spines
Status: Uncommon

About

Rambutan is a tropical fruit tree native to Southeast Asia whose name comes from the Malay word *rambut* (hair), referring to the soft red-and-green spines covering each fruit. A close relative of lychee, it bears clusters of grape-sized fruits with sweet, translucent white flesh that clings to a single seed.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Nephelium
Species: Nephelium lappaceum